Fake ID Trade Makes a Name for Itself

The price jumps up for higher-quality documents, such as IDs with magnetic strips containing real information -- often from victims of identity theft.

As the demand for counterfeit IDs skyrockets, the criminal organizations that produce them are increasingly relying on sophisticated technology to expand their operations and thwart authorities.

"You name it, they can make it," said Los Angeles Deputy City Atty. Arturo Martinez, who specializes in fraudulent document cases.

Even though Los Angeles is considered the epicenter of the fake ID trade, for years the problem didn't register as a high priority for an already burdened police force. The lack of consistent enforcement allowed the underground industry to build up until it was "out of control," said LAPD Officer Fernando Flores.

That changed in 2003, when the Los Angeles Police Department assigned two Rampart Division officers to crack down on counterfeiters. Both the city attorney and the L.A. County district attorney said they had focused more resources in the last two years on the phony ID industry. And now, equipped with a new law that will make it a crime to possess equipment used to create fake IDs, prosecutors hope to put even more counterfeiters behind bars.

But law enforcement officials acknowledge that making a dent in the thriving and highly profitable trade of fake identification documents won't be easy, primarily because the problem is so widespread.

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On a typical weekday near MacArthur Park, west of downtown Los Angeles, dozens of vendors peddle IDs and guide customers into photo shops. "Mica! Mica!" they say -- using the Spanish slang for laminated ID cards -- as they hold their hands up in the shape of a card.

When Jorge Flores crossed the border illegally from Mexico three years ago, he applied for a job as a cook. The employer asked him for his papers. Other immigrants directed Flores to Alvarado Street, where he bought fake Social Security and green cards.

"When you first get here, you don't know where to go," said Flores, 25, who lives in Huntington Park. "The people who have been here a long time tell you. Everybody knows you can buy papers in MacArthur Park."