Buyers pick the state, address, name and send in a scanned photo and signature to complete their profile. Anyone with an Internet connection and $75 to $200 can order their personalized ID card online from such companies as ID Chief.
The overseas forgers are bold enough to sell their wares on websites, USA TODAY research finds.
Most troubling to authorities is the sophistication of the forgeries: Digital holograms are replicated, PVC plastic identical to that found in credit cards is used, and ink appearing only under ultraviolet light is stamped onto the cards.Įach of those manufacturing methods helps the IDs defeat security measures aimed at identifying forged documents.
