Customer Reviews

Who Are You? The Encyclopedia of Personal Identification

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
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This is the best book I have seen to date regarding privacy, identity theft, recognizing counterfeit ID's, public records. This truely complete "Encyclopedia of Personal Identification" includes information about the internet and a whole section on offshore scams. Very detailed and complete in every sense - this book is a wealth of knowledge about protecting your identity and your privacy. A super book for those who want to know how the system works and for those who value their privacy. Outstanding in every respect.

This fascinating book tells you how anyone can get a phony ID, bogus birth certificate, fake passport and so much more. It describes how to protect your identity and how to spot phony identification. For coverage, click on Table of Contents in the left-hand column of this page. This 8.5 x 11, 352-page book is well worth the money.

Scott French has written more than 20 books. He specializes in privacy, surveillance and investigative matters.

As a publisher, author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I like the detailed, high-content approach of this book.

Take it from someone who's worked in this field for a long time...I was surprised at how little useful info Scott French included in this book. If you're looking for a highly detailed book about the way the legal ID systems work, this is a great book. *However*, if you're trying to find out how to counterfeit IDs, set up a new identity, or anything on the shady side, pass this one up and get something by Sheldon Charrett. In each chapter Scott provides a lot of detail about how the legal ID obtaining process works and what different types of ID are for, and a lot of how the government is trying to encroach on your privacy rights. After all that, he gives a few vague suggestions about how someone *might* possibly obtain fraudulent ID. He spends more time covering himself and his legal liability for the potentially illegal information than he does actually *giving* you useful information. Driver's licenses, the most sought after item, are given less attention than almost anything else in the book, with a few general instructions about using Photoshop so you can use layers in constructing an ID, and a republished-from-the-net listing of reviewed fake ID sites, maintained by an entirely different person. If you want to really understand the ID system, yeah, it's great, but if you're looking for any kind of serious, detailed instruction on obtaining new ID (or making false), do *not* get this book.

This book contains the best info on fake ID and related subjects. While it's the best in its field this book has some major shortcomings.

1) Nowhere does Scott French state something that needs to be stated: THERE IS NO LAW (at least not in Florida) THAT REQUIRES ANY RESIDENT OR CITIZEN TO HAVE A STATE ISSUED PHOTO ID ON HIS PERSON!!! If you don't believe me try to find that law in your home state. If a cop asks you for your ID simply ask him for the statute in your state that requires you to have a state issued ID. You may be required to identify yourself, but not carry an ID card. How do you identify yourself with out a state issued photo ID? Simple, tell the cop your name. If he asks for proof simply ask him to prove that you're not who you say you are. Remember the burden of proof is on the cop to prove that you are not who you say you are, not on you to prove that you are who you say you are by carrying a photo ID! If he can't produce any evidence to the contrary about who you say you are, he should accept your testimony. YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE UNLESS THE COP CAN PROVE THAT YOU'RE NOT! THE BURDEN OF PROOF IS ON THE STATE, NOT ON YOU! BTW expect to get hassled or arrested for some B.S. charge. After you make bail see a lawyer and file a civil suit.

2) The chapter on holograms is almost worthless. There's better info on the subject of making your own holograms in SECRETS OF A BACK-ALLEY MAN, by Sheldon Charrett.

3) The chapter on making your own ID's is poor. Get a copy of HOW TO MAKE DRIVER'S LICENSES AND OTHER ID ON YOUR HOME COMPUTER, by Max Forge for the best info on making ID's on your home computer.

4) Nowhere does French inform the reader that there's NO law that requires you to apply for or posses a SSN. See my review of Irwin Schiff's book, THE SOCIAL SECURITY SWINDLE, for my comments about social security.

5) He doesn't cover fingerprints in this book. In a former book that he co-authored with Lee Lapin (SPY GAME) on page 290 there was info on how to alter your prints. Too bad he didn't include similar info in this book.

A major problem with books like this one is that they are allowed to become outdated by the publisher. I just hope that Scott French updates it when it becomes necessary.