Representational image (Courtesy: Thinkstock)

The small package was wrapped in Chinese newspaper when it arrived, protecting a thin, light-blue jewelry box holding a beaded bracelet. But the bracelet was cheap. What was important was hidden under a layer of foam: fake driver's licenses.



The 19-year-old sophomore who ordered the IDs had tired of not being able to go out with his older buddies and had organized the purchase online from China for himself and a few Princeton friends, using an email address given to him by a friend, who had also gotten it from a friend.



Fake IDs have been a campus accessory since 1984, when the age for buying and public possession of alcohol was set at 21. But forget old-school resources like an older sibling or Photoshop. In today's global economy, students import their IDs.



The number from China has increased steadily in the last few years, said Bill Rivera, chief of the International Mail Branch at Kennedy International Airport, where officers seize a package almost every day. From October 2013 to September 2014, 4,585 Chinese-made counterfeit IDs were intercepted, most headed to college students. "Quite frankly, some of them look pretty good," Rivera said.



Finding the IDs, which are hidden within a variety of objects, including picture frames and tea sets, requires careful examination as well as common sense, according to Brian Bell, watch commander at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. As in: "Why would somebody send a $3 or $4 tea set to a college town?" There's also a significant spurt from July to September, when students, presumably, stock up on school supplies.



What happens when a package is confiscated? Most likely you'll just lose your money, but it can be forwarded to Homeland Security for a "controlled delivery."



The issue has become so concerning that Jesse White, the Illinois secretary of state, began a public service campaign on college campuses in October, warning of the penalties in Illinois for using fake IDs. In addition to punishments of a suspended driver's license and fines or community service, students risk identity theft.





You'll not only be sending ID-pertinent personal information and photos to China - "Keep hair nice and neat," one supplier advises customers - but also cash, via Western Union or MoneyGram.A Cornell junior who organized a purchase for 30 students said that paying was the scariest part because you're "sending $1,800 basically down a chute that you can't ever get it back from."A single purchase might cost $150, but ordering in bulk brings costs down. Some have paid $50 a pair (you get two IDs, in case one ends up with a bouncer), plus any markup student organizers tack on for their time and risk. One New York University sophomore who has put together four orders charges $20 to $40 a person, but had to eat the cost for one order after the email account was shut down.

© 2015, The New York Times News Service

It isn't uncommon for suppliers to change email addresses and websites to avoid the authorities.In a word-of-mouth business like this, customer referrals count. A subsection of the social networking site Reddit serves as a virtual crossroad for Americans looking to buy fake IDs and counterfeiters advertising their wares. Some even have customer service. The Cornell student's package went to the wrong address, and it was replaced. And at least one website boasts "three months free replacement" for confiscated IDs.