Updated: Friday, 22 Jul 2011, 6:47 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 22 Jul 2011, 5:06 PM CDT

Sun-Times Media Wire

Chicago - Dozens of young people from Chicago and the suburbs have been charged with buying fake IDs after a months-long investigation into counterfeit driver’s licenses being sent from China.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit began its investigation after packages of fake IDs were intercepted by Chicago Customs and Border Protection in late April, a release from the sheriff’s office said.

Those shipments originated in China and were addressed to underage Cook County residents. Investigators tracked the licenses to 40 different buyers between the ages of 17 and 20 from the North Side and northern suburbs.

Seven of those cited attend a local high school, but most are college students, ranging from the University of Iowa to Loyola, the release said.

Almost all the IDs were purchased from the same Internet site, which students learned about through word of mouth, the release said.

The website required each purchaser to send their name, photo and signature. The manufacturer would generate a fake address, usually directly from listings of houses for sale in state.

The high quality cards replicated licenses from Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, among others.

And intricate details were duplicated on the counterfeit licenses, including watermarks, making them nearly indistinguishable from authentic IDs. The counterfeits cost between $75 and $100, and were hidden inside packaging for Chinese games, cheap jewelry and even a webcam, the release said.

Misdemeanor citations were issued to the 40 individuals identified, in lieu of arrests. They will have to perform 25 hours of community service, and some face fines.

Investigators have seen a dramatic increase in the number of counterfeit driver’s licenses arriving from China since the beginning of this year, the sheriff’s office said. More than 1,700 have been intercepted locally since January.

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/cr ... y-20110722