UPDATE
Alexander Jonathan Trinca, photo courtesy of J. Reuben Long Detention Center
Horry County police arrested a Myrtle Beach man following a month-long investigation concerning the making and selling of fraudulent South Carolina driver licenses.
Horry County Police charged Alexander Jonathan Trinca, 21, with Forgery less than $10,000.
Officers learned in March that local teenagers were buying fake IDs for the purpose of passing as a person of legal drinking age. The investigation led them to a possible suspect and location in the case.
Tuesday, officers executed a search warrant at 1516 Aires Lane near Myrtle Beach. They say they found evidence of an operation designed to manufacture fake identification cards.
They alerted Georgetown County deputies that the ID manufacturing may also be going on there. They say a second search found more evidence relating to fake IDs.
The investigation continues to see if more suspects are involved and to try to identify the individuals who may have bought them.
Anyone found to be making fake IDs can be charged with Forgery. Anyone in possession of them can be charged with possession, which can result in the suspension of their real license.
For police, trying to stop the fake ID manufacturers isn't easy. There are websites all over the Internet that promise customers realistic-looking fake IDs.
Grand Strand liquor store owner Jim Varcadipane said some of the fakes look amazingly real.
"They're getting so good that I believe it actually tricks the police officers on some of the cases, where they're reading the IDs and it's giving them false information," said Varcadipane, who owns Atlantic Discount Spirits in Garden City.
Varcadipane said his computer system is periodically updated to keep up with the latest fake ID advancements.
But what can police do? Horry Co. Police Sgt. Robert Kegler said they try to stay ahead of the latest technology.
"Any time there's new forms of technology, there's new forms of scams, new forms of cheating people and new forms of making products that appear to be something that they're not," Kegler said.
Varcadipane said the fake ID manufacturers are getting so good, they can even embed false information on the magnetic strips that computers use to read drivers licenses.
He said younger customers who present their ID right away aren't the ones he worries about; they're probably legal. It's the ones who look around a lot and act nervous that's he's watching out for.
"A lot of times you can get a sense of whether or not they are of age, just by body action," he said.
State governments keep adding new features to make licenses harder to duplicate, but Varcadipane isn't convinced that's the answer.
"You know what? It doesn't matter. Somebody's gonna find a way."
One survey at a major Midwestern university showed that up to 21 percent of underage students possessed a fake ID.
