Internet Explorer 11 is not supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Card Tricks

Some states have a reputation for easy-to-fake IDs.

Given the number of New Jersey driver's licenses in the hands of law enforcement agencies nationwide, you might conclude that motorists from the Garden State get pulled over at an unusually high rate. But the fact of the matter is that scores of fake New Jersey licenses have been confiscated from enterprising men and women under 21 trying to use them to get into clubs or bars where alcohol is served. "People tell me, `I've got a bagful of New Jersey licenses,'" says Joe Vasil, supervisor in the operations unit of the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles.

New Jersey's licenses seem to be a popular choice for ID forgers. They are the old-fashioned variety made from laminated paper, rather than the newer digitized version many other states have adopted. "Basically, our license is one of the easiest to counterfeit as far as the technology goes," Vasil says. "They're everywhere. They're getting them all over the county."

Several other states have a similar problem. The buzz from students, police and bouncers is that licenses from Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, New York and Vermont also top the list of easy-to-fake ID cards. If it's any consolation to officials in those states, people intent on creating bogus IDs can now download graphics from the Internet to print a look-alike license from just about any state.

State officials are not amused. Over the years, motor vehicle departments have been introducing security features to best the forgers at their game. But while the technology gets more sophisticated, so do those intent on copying it. To try to deter them, states have added multiple holograms, bar codes and magnetic strips loaded with information.

California also uses fluorescent printing techniques so colors shift as the card is turned, as well as ultraviolet features. "If you hold it under a black light, some features will appear that can't be seen by the naked eye," says DMV spokesman Steve Haskins. In Texas, the photo and information on new driver's licenses for those under 21 are presented vertically rather than horizontally and have new security features that authorities will not disclose.

Many retail establishments, which can face stiff penalties for allowing underage drinking, also have invested in devices to scan magnetic strips and bar codes to verify the authenticity of IDs presented to them.

But those devices only work if the state issues the type of license or ID that uses those security features. In states where IDs do not come with bar codes or magnetic strips, a little bit of training goes a long way toward spotting false identification. "The ones I've seen are very poor imitations," says Ronny Johnson, director of driver services for the Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety. "I haven't seen what I'd say is a good-looking license to the trained eye."

Often a bouncer is presented with a legitimate ID with all the security features intact, but the person holding it is not the person to whom it was legally issued. "It's not too often we find a fictitious Pennsylvania license," says Sam Yurich, enforcement officer with the Pennsylvania State Police, Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. "Normally we run into someone using someone else's--an older brother, a sister, a friend." It becomes the job of the person eyeballing it to ask questions, ask for a second ID for verification or scrutinize the photo.

Police departments in Pennsylvania provide the private sector with training on "indicators of deception," such as if a person wants a license back very quickly or is elusive about information not printed on the ID. "They may have that information memorized but won't answer other questions," Yurich points out. "I won't say what those questions are."

Even those establishments that have devices to test security features have to have personnel that use their heads. "It won't assist the owner of the establishment if they don't use common sense," Yurich says. "They have to verify the picture and the mannerisms. Just to slide an ID through to verify that someone is 21 wouldn't suffice as a reasonable measure that a minor wasn't getting alcohol."

Special Projects