LA cops confiscate fake driver’s license with Duterte photo


MANILA, Philippines – The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in California, recently confiscated a fake driver’s license that used the photo of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

With fraudsters becoming so adept at making fake items these days, it is a big challenge for cops to determine these counterfeits because the items often look just like the real thing.

Some officers patrolling the area caught someone driving with a fake license. While that’s not really something uncommon, they were surprised to see that the person was using the photo of President Duterte.

In the photo they shared on Twitter, LAPD Rampart censored some information on the fake driver’s license but it was clear that the owner had an address listed for Glendale, California. The fake driver’s license made it appear that the ID is still valid until a future date.

Truly looking like a real driver’s license, the fake ID even had various security features, including a hologram 3D image.

LA cops confiscate fake driver's license with Duterte photo
Photo credit: LAPD Rampart

But the eagle-eyed officers of LAPD Rampart quickly noticed that the man’s ID showed the picture of Philippine president Duterte. With his signature spelled out as ‘Norman D’, the guy might be using ‘Duterte’ as a family name.

“Vice Officers recognized the picture used on a fake ID, to be that of the President of the Philippines. Good thing our Officers patrol Historic Filipino Town and are up to speed. Nice try 😂🥊🇵🇭 💯,” LAPD Rampart tweeted.

While he probably has ‘Duterte’ as real surname, the officers knew that the picture on the ID is that of President Duterte. Thus, they confiscated the license. The man is facing charges for using the fake ID. However, the cops did not release his full name. They did not also mention whether the man is Filipino American.

Currently, Filipinos are the third largest group of Asian Americans in the US. A large majority of them live in California, according to the 2019 US Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express