STAMFORD – On Tuesday, August 25, a concerned citizen turned over a package that was inadvertently delivered to a wrong address. As they opened the package, they discovered 24 drivers licenses hidden underneath packing materials and turned over the package and the IDs to police.
An investigation confirmed that the licenses were fake and that a fake ID ring was working in Stamford. Money and pictures were taken then wired to China, where the licenses were made. They were mailed back to Stamford and distributed to underage youths.
The fake IDs were of high quality and even had holograms embedded in them. They were exact copies of licenses from Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Each fake ID had a duplicate for backup if one was taken.
Police determined that several of the youths were from the Stamford area and several others were from the Massachusetts. They notified college campuses being attended by these youths to be on the lookout for other fake IDs that may have been made prior to the seizure. The colleges that were notified were the University of Rhode Island, Cape Cod Community College, Eastern Nazarene College, and Norwalk Community College.
Anyone found having a fake ID could be charged with second-degree forgery, which is a felony.
“We would like the public to know that we take these investigations seriously since the purpose of these falsified licenses is for underage youth to obtain alcohol and enter bars,” said Lt. Diedrich Hohn of Stamford Police Department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation in a statement. “The bigger concern is that these licenses can be obtained for more nefarious reasons as far as obtaining fake identities for terrorism-related purposes or to gain fake citizenship in the United States.
“Parents of underage children should be aware that this is happening and be on the lookout for their children possessing licenses from another state,” he said.
