Phoney Ontario licences sold over the internet
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 7:08 am
June 7, 2004
Tories livid over sale of phoney Ontario licences
By JAMES MCCARTEN
TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government promised to tighten security on its driver's licences Monday after an Opposition critic described a British website where an authentic-looking fake retails for $90 US. Driver's licences closely resembling those from a host of provinces including Ontario are available on the site, which specializes in fake documents, said Conservative house leader Bob Runciman.
"You couldn't tell the difference between a real driver's licence and a fake driver's licence, and that's out there," said Runciman, a former solicitor general who said he learned of the site through a police contact. Driver's licences are easily used to obtain other personal documents, and a criminal could easily use a fake one to create a false identity or enter the United States, Runciman said.
"It should be a significant concern, because that's a foundation document," he said.
"That's what you build an identity on if you want to build a fake identity, and that should be a special concern right now in the wake of Sept. 11 and all the concerns about terrorism."
But Harinder Takhar, Ontario's transportation minister, had to concede that it was the first he'd heard of the site, which also sells diplomas, ID from around the world and even the equipment used to make them.
"I just became aware of that particular website, but I knew that somewhere the driver's licences were being duplicated," Takhar said.
"The current driver's licence arrangement expires at the end of 2004, and we have every intention to strengthen the security features."
Takhar was asked why he wasn't aware of the site earlier.
"I have a driver's licence," he said. "I'm not looking for a driver's licence."
Ontario isn't the only province featured on the site, which includes licences from Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island, all of which sell for a regular price of $149 but are available for $90, the site says.
The B.C. licence is currently ranked eighth on a list of the site's top 10 sellers. Takhar insisted after question period that the numbers on the licences were fake, but a link on the site offers visitors the chance to sell their "collections" of genuine licences and diplomas.
"We are actively buying both genuine ID cards and college diplomas," the site reports.
"If you would like to cash in by selling your collection to us then please drop us a line with both a description and an image. Please also give us a price that you would like to obtain for your item."
Elsewhere on the site, the company's products are described as "novelty props." Prospective buyers can even obtain a monthly catalog of offerings by mail simply by entering an address.
"My ministry is actively pursuing the development and implementation of attempts to eliminate all the defrauding of driver's licences," Takhar told Runciman in the legislature.
But Runciman later derided Takhar's answer as "pitiful" and denounced him for not being aware of the website's operation.
"Obviously they don't have systems in place to protect the integrity of Ontario driver's licences, and that should be a concern for everybody," Runciman said.
"Instead of saying, 'This should be a concern, we'll look into it immediately,' he went into a political rant, and that's totally irresponsible and shameful conduct on his part."
Takhar said the province's contract with the company that produces the secure cards expires at the end of the year, and the government has been examining what new measures might be necessary.
But he vowed the province would be producing new licences by year's end that would be tougher to forge than their predecessors.
"We're going to make sure that those security features are that tight that they can't be duplicated."
Source
Tories livid over sale of phoney Ontario licences
By JAMES MCCARTEN
TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government promised to tighten security on its driver's licences Monday after an Opposition critic described a British website where an authentic-looking fake retails for $90 US. Driver's licences closely resembling those from a host of provinces including Ontario are available on the site, which specializes in fake documents, said Conservative house leader Bob Runciman.
"You couldn't tell the difference between a real driver's licence and a fake driver's licence, and that's out there," said Runciman, a former solicitor general who said he learned of the site through a police contact. Driver's licences are easily used to obtain other personal documents, and a criminal could easily use a fake one to create a false identity or enter the United States, Runciman said.
"It should be a significant concern, because that's a foundation document," he said.
"That's what you build an identity on if you want to build a fake identity, and that should be a special concern right now in the wake of Sept. 11 and all the concerns about terrorism."
But Harinder Takhar, Ontario's transportation minister, had to concede that it was the first he'd heard of the site, which also sells diplomas, ID from around the world and even the equipment used to make them.
"I just became aware of that particular website, but I knew that somewhere the driver's licences were being duplicated," Takhar said.
"The current driver's licence arrangement expires at the end of 2004, and we have every intention to strengthen the security features."
Takhar was asked why he wasn't aware of the site earlier.
"I have a driver's licence," he said. "I'm not looking for a driver's licence."
Ontario isn't the only province featured on the site, which includes licences from Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island, all of which sell for a regular price of $149 but are available for $90, the site says.
The B.C. licence is currently ranked eighth on a list of the site's top 10 sellers. Takhar insisted after question period that the numbers on the licences were fake, but a link on the site offers visitors the chance to sell their "collections" of genuine licences and diplomas.
"We are actively buying both genuine ID cards and college diplomas," the site reports.
"If you would like to cash in by selling your collection to us then please drop us a line with both a description and an image. Please also give us a price that you would like to obtain for your item."
Elsewhere on the site, the company's products are described as "novelty props." Prospective buyers can even obtain a monthly catalog of offerings by mail simply by entering an address.
"My ministry is actively pursuing the development and implementation of attempts to eliminate all the defrauding of driver's licences," Takhar told Runciman in the legislature.
But Runciman later derided Takhar's answer as "pitiful" and denounced him for not being aware of the website's operation.
"Obviously they don't have systems in place to protect the integrity of Ontario driver's licences, and that should be a concern for everybody," Runciman said.
"Instead of saying, 'This should be a concern, we'll look into it immediately,' he went into a political rant, and that's totally irresponsible and shameful conduct on his part."
Takhar said the province's contract with the company that produces the secure cards expires at the end of the year, and the government has been examining what new measures might be necessary.
But he vowed the province would be producing new licences by year's end that would be tougher to forge than their predecessors.
"We're going to make sure that those security features are that tight that they can't be duplicated."
Source