If you're just joining me, I'm Privacybob, a Privacy Consultant who's blogging on all things privacy-related. This is intended to evolve into an interactive privacy resource. If any terminology of concepts outlined here leave you confused, you're encouraged to read prior posts and get yourself ccaught up. Or, comment and inquire. I'll try and get you an answer.
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Remember mail-order ID cards? When you were in high school you could order them out of the back of Rolling Stone and buy beer with relative impunity. You sent in a passport photo and they'd return a plausible-looking ID card from the state of your choosing. A dead ringer for the real deal? Of course not. But nobody particularly cared, since you were trying to pass off a fake Vermont ID in North Carolina, where a clerk rarely saw the real thing. Today, fake ID cards are of vastly superior quality, but it's extremely difficult to actually purchase one. And books and websites with real-life exemplars of ID from every site are readily available. Federal law now prohibits anybody in the United States from manufacturing or selling any product that mimics any state ID. Briefly, the action moved to Canadian companies-- until Canada likewise outlawed the practice. Today, there are no legitimate producers of "state ID" cards in the U.S. or Canada, although a search on "fake ID" would lead you to believe otherwise. But place an order, and your money will likely disappear. Or you might receive a generic, cheaply laminated card featuring your name and vital statistics on a plain white background in a generic l2-point font that looks it came off an IBM Selectric typewriter, which it probably did. Yes, it's an "ID Card," and no laws were broken (since the company sent you something, and it looks nothing like anything issued by any state). But the damn thing couldn't get you into a cockfight…
But here's the tricky part: while "fake ID" offers are generally scams, there is some terrific work being done offshore. The potential for getting ripped off, however, remains high. Further complicating the scene is the simple fact that the fake ID industry is something of a "movable feast." Old sites are continuously shutting down, replacement or new ones springing up. “Review sites”-- websites that purport to be the "Consumer Reports" of the fake ID realm cannot be trusted. Many of them are run by the scammers and operate for the sole purpose of hyping their own reputation and slamming competitors, some of whom might actually be the good guys.
A good fake ID card will cost $75.00 to $200.00. It will have digital holograms and be made of PVC plastic similar to credit cards. I've heard good reports about is "ID Chief" in China (www.idchief.ch). Along with a money order, you send them with a scanned photo, a name, an address, and a signature. There are others, and Googling will reveal the current crop. Let the buyer beware...
All things being equal, it's hard to believe that any mail order ID could ever be a dead ringer for an officially-issued one. If you choose to go this route, never show your fake ID to a cop. No matter how impressive the hologram or the print quality, the moment your name is run, it will be obvious that the information on the card does not match what the government has on file. These cards, however, can be extremely useful in retail-type situations. For best results, keep your fake ID in your wallet behind a cloudy piece of plastic, which tends to obscure any discrepancies between it and the real thing. Few busy clerks will make you remove it from behind the plastic. Generally, clerks do not scrutinize ID; their job is to simply make sure you have it. Usually, they'll just jot down the number or key it in, since that's what the boss requires.
- HOMEMADE ID CARDS
For an investment of a couple or three hundred dollars, you can buy a PVC printer bundled with software that enables you to print your own photo IDs onto hard, credit-card stock similar to that used by the DMV. State-issued IDs are so complex and have so many security features that it is extremely difficult-- if not impossible-- for a novice to make a passible version at home. But other IDs are simple to make, especially if there is no familiar "standard" to which they can be compared. We're talking company IDs or membership identification for clubs and fraternal organizations. If Acme Aerospace is a big local employer, it wouldn't require much time or talent to snag the logo from their website and burn it onto a home-brewed ID card-- featuring Elmer's smiling face.