China Fake IDs: Homeland Security TSA Screenings May Not Catch Counterfeit Identification

Whether you're a teenager looking to score booze or a terrorist trying to board a domestic flight, Chinese fake IDs may be just the solution for you, according to an investigation by The Daily.

A video released by The Daily on Monday shows the ease of ordering nearly flawless false identification through a Chinese company's website; journalist Josh Bernstein orders two fake IDS from the state of Connecticut and two from British Columbia, Canada, all with the requisite holograms and distinctive marks.

"To the naked eye, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference," Steve Williams, the CEO of an ID verification company told the online publication.

In 2011, a number of young people in the Chicago area were arrested in connection with the seizure of 1,700 counterfeit drivers' licenses shipped from China through O'Hare International Airport, according to the Associated Press, and The Washington Post detailed a number of college students' use of "the Chinese guy," an online service that had mailed thousands of fake licenses to the United States.

While fake IDs for underagers looking to get beyond velvet ropes and into liquor store coffers might seem like small potatoes, the bigger issue comes from how easily the IDs could get someone through airport security. "How big a gap in homeland security are fake IDs? It's a huge gap," Janice Kephart, counsel to the 9/11 Commission, told The Daily.

Watch the entire video for The Daily's report.