Police now spotting more fake IDs

Your fake ID might have hologram graphics or a photo that looks just like you, but law enforcement is on to your tricks.

As demand has increased for fraudulent identification, law enforcement began improving security features on driver’s licenses.

The more sophisticated characteristics have allowed officials to track and more easily uncover individuals breaking the law.

From January 2009 to October 2009, there were 373 arrests for the possession and manufacturing of fake licenses in North Carolina, up from 294 in all of 2008 — a 27 percent increase in less than a year, said Marge Howell, communications officer for the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

In 2008, there were 18 charges in Chapel Hill related to fake IDs. Since the beginning of 2009, there have been 22, said Lt. Kevin Gunter, Chapel Hill Police Department spokesman.

“We are seeing more of these (arrests) because we have seen an increase in the security of our driver’s license. In a way, that has brought out the bad guys,” Howell said.

UNC student Emory Parsons, a bouncer at Players nightclub, said he catches fake IDs every busy night he works.

“On a really busy night, I’ll see at least 25 people with fake IDs. You’d be kind of shocked, actually,” Parsons said.

Some of the IDs used by students are clearly fake, he said.

“A lot of them are very gaudy. Sometimes the hologram on the fake is not even there or it’s a completely different design.”

The state also is seeing a jump in the number of fake ID manufacturing labs across the state.

But contrary to common belief, the labs are mostly not for college students, said Jeff Lasater, a local special agent with the Alcohol Law Enforcement Division of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

Instead, they mainly cater to undocumented immigrants who need official identification for jobs and official services, he said.

College students are much more likely to use IDs they order online and customize with personal information or real IDs belonging to older friends, he said.

Taking a closer look

Fake license manufacturers have tried to keep up with the increasingly sophisticated designs, but the main giveaways remain the same, Lasater said.

From his experience, most fictitious IDs are seized around college campuses where students use Web sites and other methods to make them, Lasater said.

“We do see a lot around Carolina, Duke and State,” he said.

Israel Morrow, a special agent for ALE, said making people take IDs out of their wallets helps because by holding it in their hands, people checking the IDs can better detect discrepancies.

“I’ve seen people who have the information on the front, but when you turn it over you can see that it’s a completely different card that has been fraudulently manufactured,” Morrow said.

Getting caught with a fake ID is a misdemeanor, and the punishment varies depending on the district judge’s decision, said Mark Senter, an ALE supervisor.

But at some bars, getting caught by a bouncer or bartender could end with just a shake of the head.

“We don’t call the police. Sometimes we confiscate them from time to time. We usually just say, ‘No, have a good night,’” Parsons said.



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