Fake IDs

A forged driver's license seized recently by Waikato police was so good it had to be sent away for expert analysis. Ten young people are facing a total of 22 charges for altering or using forged documents.

Waikato police said the fake IDs, used to gain access to bars, were largely created on school computers and printers. The police will not confirm which secondary schools are involved, but the Waikato Times understands at least one case involved a city boarding student using a computer and printer in their room on the school campus.

The maximum penalty for forging driver's licenses is $2000 and up to 10 years in prison. Hamilton police liquor licensing sergeant Jim Kernohan said the quality of the confiscated fakes varied widely. "Some were so bad you wonder why they bother, but there were some that were hard to pick out straight away." He said one of the better fakes had to be sent to the NZ Transport Agency for analysis, then on to the card manufacturer.

Hamilton police liquor licensing team member Constable Murray Macdonald said that in the past eight months several doctored driver's licenses had been handed in by city bar staff. Police had taken action against 130 people over the IDs and suspected people had no idea how much trouble they could get in by producing someone else's license as identification. "It's fraud and not only can the person presenting the fake identification be prosecuted but the owner as well.

Read the whole article about the fake IDs here