Buying Fake IDs Online

As America’s immigrant population continues to increase, more individuals will turn to illegal methods of obtaining fake IDs. It’s not difficult: for instance, several years ago it was easy for someone to walk into any nondescript luggage store in midtown Manhattan and have an employee pull camera equipment out of a suitcase on display, take photos in front of a blue fabric backdrop for $50, type up fake birth and address information and laminate the document – often enough to gain entrance into bars and clubs.

Recent years have made procuring fake IDs easier thanks to the Internet, with sites like Idchief providing two copies for $150 or if purchased with friends for just $100 each. Based in Taiwan but manufactured in Florida with scannable barcodes, holograms, and other security features that allow bouncers to easily swipe an iPhone swipe them through.

But purchasing ID cards puts buyers at risk for identity theft, with personal details used to create IDs potentially being exploited for illicit activities. That is why some online vendors now offer discounts to customers who pay with bitcoin – an anonymous cryptocurrency used by those looking to bypass government oversight – though its use poses its own set of challenges: due to no paper trail left by this digital currency, buyers could easily be tracked without their knowledge and used for illegal activities.