Chinese National ID Forgery Ring’s Made in 3 Days

“This can get you anything you want. It’s truly a remarkable system.”

A Chinese man praises the convenience while taking out a My Number card from his pocket. However, the card he holds in his hand is not genuine.

The author made contact with a dark-side job posting on Chinese social media recruiting individuals for counterfeit card production and sales. Subsequently, they headed to a family restaurant in Tokyo as the designated interview location, accompanied by a Japanese-Chinese collaborator named S, to avoid raising suspicion.

In December last year, a woman in her twenties of Chinese nationality was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department for counterfeiting My Number cards and other identification documents. According to reports, the woman had been following instructions from a contact in China since around June 2023, producing counterfeit identification documents for Japan and mailing them to specified addresses. The police suspect her involvement in the counterfeiting of around 750 My Number cards and approximately 10,000 other cards, including residence cards.

Counterfeiting of My Number cards, which are used as public identification, would be a significant problem shaking Japanese society to its core if rampant. However, Digital Minister Taro Kono (61) dismissed the counterfeit My Number cards produced by the arrested woman as simple and asserted that various measures against counterfeiting and alteration are being implemented.

When looking at the photos of the seized counterfeit cards, there are sloppy details such as the shape of the IC chip being different from that of genuine cards. However, the man the author contacted claimed, “The same type of counterfeit My Number cards are already being mass-produced and used all over Japan.” The main use is opening bank accounts under false names.

“Once upon a time, it was possible to open a bank account using a forged residence card, but in recent years, it has become mandatory to verify the IC chip. While the IC chip itself cannot be counterfeited, when presenting the My Number card as identification, the embedded IC chip is not read. Only the name and address are visually confirmed. There are also methods involving the use of forged driver’s licenses, but sometimes the counterfeit can be detected by touch or other means. In that regard, since even Japanese people are not yet familiar with the My Number card, it’s less likely to be exposed easily.”

The bank clerk responsible for counter services at a regional bank admitted this when the author asked for confirmation.

“Certainly, unlike with residence cards, when verifying identity with a My Number card, we only visually inspect the card and take a copy of the surface; we do not confirm the reading of the IC chip. Since the majority of users are Japanese using My Number cards, if we were to only confirm the reading for foreigners, it could invite criticism of discrimination against foreigners.”

Thus, bank accounts opened under fictitious names, known as “Tobashi accounts,” are used for various crimes such as special fraud. Once fictitious bank accounts are established, it becomes possible to also contract for a “Tobashi mobile phone,” another tool commonly used in criminal activities. According to the man in question, there is no confirmation of the IC chip during the mobile phone contract process.

After providing a thorough explanation of his products, it seemed the man had made his decision to hire. Regarding the process from receiving orders for cards to issuing them, he boasted, “I can make these in just three days.”

“I’ll handle the customer acquisition, so all you need to do is create and send them. I’ll ship the printers, laminators, cardstock, and film needed for forging the My Number cards to your address. I’ll sell them for 500 yuan each (approximately 10,000 yen), and you’ll get 30% as your profit.”

 

 

The man then handed over a sample of the forged My Number card in place of an acceptance letter. These forged My Number cards, referred to as first generation, are said to have been produced and sold in Japan in quantities exceeding 10,000.

These facts suggest the possibility of a large-scale criminal organization handling the forging of identity documents within Japan. Furthermore, the man revealed that the distribution of forged My Number cards with increased precision compared to the current ones will soon begin.

It is expected that this fiscal year, integration with insurance cards and driver’s licenses will begin. To prevent further misuse, allowing them to operate freely is not an option.

From the February 2 and 9, 2024 issues of FRIDAY