Vendors of fake New York state IDs will soon have a much more difficult time.
In July, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles will begin distributing redesigned licenses with 30 new visible and concealed security features. Drivers seeking new licenses will be issued hard, laser-engraved polycarbonate cards with photos printed in grayscale.
This design change is an effort to combat the counterfeit market that produces fake ID cards used by underage drinkers and criminals. Owen McShane, the director of investigations for the DMV, reported that last year 100 investigators had collected 1,450 counterfeit driver’s licenses in underage drinking busts alone, according to a report by The New York Times.
This specific design was first implemented in Virginia in 2009, and the state has yet to see a successful forgery of the license. But beyond the purchase of alcohol, fake IDs have also been used for criminal activities like fraud and terrorism. With engraved personal data and a visible photo on the front and back, the new ID cards will make forgery extremely difficult.
According to the DMV, this design will cost one dollar more for each new ID, but the additional cost will not burden the public.
“The new card incorporates the latest in technology and addresses many of the concerns about the current card voiced by our officers who deal with them in the field every day,” Peter Kehoe, executive director of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, said in a November 2012 letter to DMV Commissioner Barbara Fiala.
McShane told The New York Times that he hopes that the cost of producing these new licenses would discourage counterfeiters.
“It’s hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars for an inscriber,” McShane said. “It’s not something a college student is going to be able to go out and get.”
McShane added that the grayscale will make physical features more prominent on the ID, which will make it harder for people to use cards that are passed on from one person to another. Additionally, drivers under 21 will be issued a different card design so they will be easier to identify.
CAS junior Aneline Amalathas thinks that the security features will help, but that forgers will still prevail in the long run.
“I think people may still find a way around it. With [security] features like that, [forgery] would probably be really far down the line,” Amalathas said.
Other states are considering revamping security for their driver’s licenses as well. North Carolina is also expected to follow the trend by the end of 2013.
A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, April 3rd print edition. Tanay Hudson is a contributing writer. Email her at [email protected].
