Identity document forgery

Documentary fraud is the criminally motivated manipulation or the total falsification of a document or authorization certificate for the purpose of deception. Most cases, these are official documents, such as passports, identity cards and driving licenses.

Objective

The aim of the documentary fraud is denying an identification of a person and / or exploitation of rights by certain persons or the pretense of a particular nationality.

By means of a false or forged identity card of the cardholder may access authorization (employee ID), a formal ( driver's license, pilot's license, degree, certification, certificate), a status (age of consent, diplomatic status ), age, or nationality pretend (right of residence ). In most cases, documents are falsified, there are existing and actually Passes issued changed in their content. Forged documents are often made ​​in order to reach higher or targeted real documents. So an authority be submitted fake birth certificates, to get to a real photo ID. The genuineness and authenticity of each card is only as good as the underlying documents.

False identity documents are verifiable to the lack of security features. These features are largely kept secret by the exhibitor or the contracting authority. This is to deliberate forgeries or imitations of known characteristics are difficult. When security features of banknotes, the system of characteristics is made known to allow a broad group of people in control.

Illegal workshops are usually part of organized crime. The widespread introduction of digital imaging has led to an increase in counterfeiting and falsifications in particular. Inevitably, it was necessary to find new security features, which are based not only on the optically comparable playback.

Counterfeit

Counterfeiting are certificates that are created from scratch from similar materials as possible. Before a total forgery can be carried out a complete analysis of an existing original document is needed to identify all safety features and all material structures. Because of the high burden necessary for this study counterfeiting are usually produced in series. An attempt is made the paper (possibly with watermark and fiber structure) to reconstruct including ink and prints. In addition to the original as similar as possible bookbinding material, if any, the plastic films, the security elements such as holograms must be made. Ultimately, the total forger must Reproduce the photograph and the entries with great effort. This expense is sufficiently " criminal energy " and a special objective advance and is not part of the usual work of counterfeiters.

Distortions

Distortions are original documents which have been tampered with. The amendments may be the replacement of the passport photo, numbers or text / words or stamps. The modification of entries like date of birth, number of children, official seal or stamp imprints or the deletion of limiting entries, as in " does not apply ... [ country] ', removing incriminating pages are common distortions. The easiest way to distort is currently the social security card because it contains a self-adhesive film for the insertion of a passport photo that is glued by the user himself without supervision.

Distortions may be noticeable by changes in the background printing, by color differences or by structural changes to the distorted point. Such as reducing ink eraser in paper materials are introduced, which react with color change is not distorted. Etchings on paper can be identified by roughening of paper smoothness.

Another common method is to conceal by the alleged identity of the actual loss of a document, and thus fraudulently new original document. This name changes are then officially confirmed, although the present document are distorted.

Criminal

Under German criminal offenses following with identity counterfeits can be tightened.

  • Forgery, § 267 StGB
  • Indirect false certification, § 271 StGB
  • Change of official identification documents, § 273 StGB
  • Suppression of documents, § 274 StGB
  • Preparation of forgery of official identification documents, § 275 StGB
  • Gain of false official statements, § 276 StGB
  • Abuse of official statements, § 281 StGB
  • Abuse of titles, job titles and badges, § 132a StGB
  • Individual forgery, § 169 StGB
  • Formation of criminal organizations, § 129 StGB

In Germany established foreigners, the entire residence permit may be withdrawn if this has been obtained, for example, by presenting a fake ID ( § § 95, 96 of the Residence Act ).

Psychological manipulation Camouflage passport Guilloché
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