How I Rob Banks

Chapter 59Fake ID

When I say “fake ID,” people think of one of two types: the type underage people use to be served alcohol or get into clubs; or a fake passport and the persona that comes with it, as in a spy movie where the villain or hero is given a brown envelope containing a new ID.

Those are not the types I am talking about here. Doing either of those will get you into serious trouble, and I strongly suggest you don't even try.

I am talking about the sort of ID that impersonates your client or someone they will trust.

Corporate IDs can take many forms, but in recent years I have found that most are credit-card-sized plastic with color printing, often held in a plastic badge holder and attached to a lanyard. Before this, there were dozens of different types, materials, and ways to attach the ID, which caused me trouble. I had to work out what the ID looked like, what materials to use, how to appropriately wear it,, etc. Once I had to work out a complex color scheme used by a company, to ensure that I matched their system and didn't stand out. The various colors worked different days and shifts: wearing a badge with an orange border would have stood out on a Tuesday but not on a Wednesday, and badges with a purple lanyard on the shop floor would have stood out, unlike a blue lanyard. Badge systems can be complicated, and from a security point of view, that's a good thing; it makes my job harder, and the criminals’ jobs harder, too.

Back in the day, before every company ...