Fourteen teens arrested in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., over the past month are suspected of doing what a lot of young people have done for generations: trying to get their hands on some alcohol. But they may have bought themselves a whole lot of future trouble.
The teenagers allegedly traded their photos, Social Security numbers and $75 money orders for extremely realistic-looking driver’s licenses via a website in China, according to the Albany Times Union.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
The teens face a misdemeanor charge. Meanwhile, their personal information has been sold to identity thieves, authorities said.
Once upon a time, having a fake ID meant changing a number on your license, or maybe getting a duplicate identity card from an older sibling or friend who looked like you. But authorities say the licenses obtained by the teens could have fooled not just a bouncer or store clerk but even police, border patrol and airport security.
Police said some of the forged Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania licenses had magnetic strips that could be swiped in card readers and holograms visible under a black light, The Saratogian reported
The IDs would have fooled police scanners on a traffic stop, Saratoga Springs police Lt. John Catone told The Saratogian:
“Not until two, three, four days down the road when that information downloads into the DMV database would we find out there is no such person in that particular state,” he said. “That’s how good they are.”
Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said at a press conference that personal information sent to the overseas website has been sold, and that those who supplied their information should consider themselves a target for identity theft.
“As these kids get older and try to get jobs, try to be stockbrokers, or get a mortgage or credit cards, they will find in 90% of the cases that they have thousands in credit card debt, that they will have several mortgages they have yet to pay, holds on their licenses to states they’ve never been to, Interpol holds, because they gave their information to a foreign Web-based company,” Murphy said.
“They’re teenagers,” Catone told the Times Union. “Mortgages and loans 10, 20 years from now are not what they’re thinking about.”
