Identity document forgery

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West German customs employee checking an alleged fake document.

Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status of the bearer. The term also encompasses the activity of acquiring identity documents from governing bodies by falsifying the required supporting documentation in order to create the desired identity.

Identity documents differ from other credentials in that they are intended only to be usable by the person holding the card. Unlike other credentials, they may be used to restrict the activities of the holder as well as to expand them.

Documents that have been forged in this way include driver's licenses (which historically have been forged or altered as an attempt to conceal the fact that persons desiring to consume alcohol are under the legal drinking age), birth certificates and Social Security cards (likely used in identity theft schemes, or to defraud the government), and passports (used to evade restrictions on entry into a particular country).

Such falsified documents can be used for identity theft, age deception, illegal immigration, and organized crime.

Systemic attacks

The combination of multiple high-security features, biometrics, and well-trained document inspectors with technical assistance can be very effective at preventing forgery. For example, newer Identification Cards have symbols that are unseen to the naked eye, but when placed under a black light it will be seen and confirm the legitimacy of the identification card. The only way to circumvent this security measure is to use a "genuine fake", that is, a genuine document issued under false pretences.

One way of doing this is to present the document issuing authority with false credentials, which they will then endorse by issuing a new document. In this way, false identities and credentials can be "bootstrapped" over a period of time.

Another simpler way of generating false credentials is to suborn one of the officials involved in the document issuing process. This may also be combined with the bootstrapping process mentioned above to mount complex attacks.

Corruption in the document-issuing process is hard to counter, since as the value of a credential increases, the economic incentives for corruption also increase. This is particularly true in the case of fake ID cards that combine many functions in one document, and for documents which are issued in large numbers, thus requiring many thousands of people to have authorizing powers, thus creating a longer chain of people who can possibly be exploited.

Another systemic attack is to inject false information into the official database, in such a way that the database will recognize fake cards as being real.

External links

• U.S. FTC press release: FTC Closes Down Fake I.D. Mill on The Internet
• CBS News story: Sellers of fake immigration papers say they aren't worried about call for tamperproof ID cards
• wikiHow: How to Make a Fake ID (with video)

References