NCJ Number
218303
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 104,106,111
Date Published
April 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the document fraud business from the perspective of a former counterfeiter, highlighting the ease of establishing this type of business and their potential danger to law enforcement and homeland security.
Abstract
The article begins with the former counterfeiter, E.B., describing how a fake document business is set up and maintained, including the type of equipment needed and the way the business gains customers. The average start-up for a small operation that can produce between 200 to 300 cards per month ranges from $2,000 to $3,000. For between $3,000 and $5,000, a counterfeiter can set up an operation that produces hundreds of high quality cards a month. This type of operation will usually net approximately $3,000 to $5,000 per week for the counterfeiter. All the equipment needed for such an operation can be purchased at an office supply company or via the Internet, such as a laptop computer, color laser printer, flat bed scanner, and a laminating machine. High quality and special printing paper can be ordered via the Internet or shipped in from Mexico. E.B. purchased templates of dozens of ID cards from another counterfeiter when he started his own business, including Social Security cards, employment authorization cards, and birth certificates from various States. Running the operation involved hiring a runner who would generally solicit illegal aliens where day laborers gather in search of work. Contractors even solicit the runners at times to get illegal documents for their workers. E.B. was careful to never let the customer see where the documents were being printed and was careful to keep the runners out of the document printing area. Tips for investigating fake document businesses are offered, including using informants to solicit runners for fake documents, and threats to homeland security from such businesses are described. For example, a large number of illegal aliens were recently found working at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC, a major security breach.