How to Buy Real and Fake Drivers Licenses

If a migrant does manage to obtain a license, it will likely be fake – not because of its color or state seal hologram, but due to being duplicate. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), making any false statements or providing falsified proof of identity when applying for driver’s licenses, permits, certificates or permits is illegal and subject to jail time; including forged or altered birth certificates or social security cards as proof.

Computer and color printer technology has made it simpler than ever to produce realistic-looking fake driver’s licenses, using templates available online as well as those provided directly by various people who provide these documents for a fee. Some fake IDs even reproduce bar codes and encoded information found on credit and ATM cards for added realism.

But government agencies now utilizing products for border control and immigration that can detect these well-crafted fakes include advanced ID image capture and authentication equipment. This equipment uses various light sources to analyze document markings, then compares them against an authenticated document database for high-confidence identification.

Law enforcement will have difficulty detecting counterfeit or altered documents used by criminals for other illegal acts; someone using fake ID to buy firearms, for example, could face felony charges that could carry up to seven years in jail.