Fake IDs Made In China Seized; Underage Kids Cited
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cook County Sheriff's office has seized dozens of fake IDs made in China destined for young people on the North Side of Chicago and in the northern suburbs.
Newsradio 780's Nancy Harty reports.
Packages of the fake IDs were intercepted by Chicago Customs and Border Protection agents in late April.
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The shipments originated in China and were addressed to underage residents in the Cook County area.
"These are incredibly high-quality fakes," said Sheriff Tom Dart. "This is a very high level sophistication."
Investigators tracked the licenses to 40 different purchasers between the ages of 17 and 20 from across the North Side and northern suburbs. Seven attend a local high school, but most are enrolled in colleges.
Almost all of the counterfeit licenses were purchased from the same Internet site, which students learned about through word of mouth.
The website required each purchaser to send their name, photo and signature. The manufacturer would then generate a fake address, usually taken directly from MLS listings of houses for sale in the chosen state.
The high quality identification cards replicate licenses from Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, among others.
Intricate details were duplicated on the counterfeit licenses, including watermarks, making them nearly indistinguishable from authentic IDs.
The counterfeit licenses cost between $75 and $100 and were hidden inside packaging for Chinese games, cheap jewelry, and even a webcam.
After a months-long investigation, Cook County Sheriff's Police issued misdemeanor citations to the 40 individuals identified, requiring 25 hours of community service and, for some, a fine.
Dart said the kids also risked financial ruin, by providing their names, photos, social security numbers and addresses to criminals overseas.
Investigators have seen a dramatic increase in the number of counterfeit state driver's licenses arriving from China since the beginning of this year. More than 1700 have been intercepted locally since January 2011.
