Vista Holograms are not so safe

If you have a credit card or just bought a copy of Windows Vista, you're familiar with security holograms -- those sparkly bits of film that vouch for the validity of everything from driver's licenses to software and sports league items.

It turns out, they aren't as secure as they are sparkly.

Experts say the number of counterfeit holograms affixed to equally counterfeit merchandise has tripled in the past three years, as the technology to make them has spread. Today, crafting a convincing duplicate of a security hologram has never been easier or more profitable.

"The hardest part is peeling the original off," says Jeff Allen, one of the pioneers of holography. "You can duplicate a hologram, and the duplicate becomes a master you can use for production."

Embossed holograms first turned up on credit cards as a security device in the 1980s. Today, software makers and CD manufacturers use them for package seals, and high-end clothing companies ranging from sports league to Italian runway designers have them on their labels. They're also found on driver's licenses, ID cards, tax stamps, and dozens of other places where they're meant to certify the genuineness of an article, whether it's a Microsoft program, a Chicago Bears T-shirt or a pair of Roberto Cavalli jeans.

But as the goods they certify become more valuable, the profit incentive to add counterfeit holograms to counterfeit goods has grown.

Now fake holograms are turning up everywhere, says Courtney Martin, who is the investigations coordinator for the Idaho-based Trademark Management Inc. The company counts sports league memorabilia makers among its clients -- vendors that sell a genuine pro or college league T-shirt for as much as $250. The leagues mark their products with holograms on the tags and labels.

"For a trained eye, it used to be easier to tell a fake, but the counterfeits are getting so much better," Martin says.

Law enforcement hasn't shown much enthusiasm for going after fake holograms. The FBI lists three cases involving counterfeited holograms since 1997, and when contacted, was only able to say the agency "is aware that there are individuals and/or criminal enterprise organizations that are actively involved in the production of holograms. These fraudulent holograms are being used to effectively produce false passports, driver's licenses, tax stamps and credit cards."

If you have a credit card or just bought a copy of Windows Vista, you're familiar with security holograms -- those sparkly bits of film that vouch for the validity of everything from driver's licenses to software and sports league items.

It turns out, they're aren't as secure as they are sparkly.

Experts say the number of counterfeit holograms affixed to equally counterfeit merchandise has tripled in the past three years, as the technology to make them has spread. Today, crafting a convincing duplicate of a security hologram has never been easier or more profitable.

"The hardest part is peeling the original off," says Jeff Allen, one of the pioneers of holography. "You can duplicate a hologram, and the duplicate becomes a master you can use for production."

Embossed holograms first turned up on credit cards as a security device in the 1980s. Today, software makers and CD manufacturers use them for package seals, and high-end clothing companies ranging from sports league to Italian runway designers have them on their labels. They're also found on driver's licenses, ID cards, tax stamps, and dozens of other places where they're meant to certify the genuineness of an article, whether it's a Microsoft program, a Chicago Bears T-shirt or a pair of Roberto Cavalli jeans.

But as the goods they certify become more valuable, the profit incentive to add counterfeit holograms to counterfeit goods has grown.

Now fake holograms are turning up everywhere, says Courtney Martin, who is the investigations coordinator for the Idaho-based Trademark Management Inc. The company counts sports league memorabilia makers among its clients -- vendors that sell a genuine pro or college league T-shirt for as much as $250. The leagues mark their products with holograms on the tags and labels.

"For a trained eye, it used to be easier to tell a fake, but the counterfeits are getting so much better," Martin says.

Law enforcement hasn't shown much enthusiasm for going after fake holograms. The FBI lists three cases involving counterfeited holograms since 1997, and when contacted, was only able to say the agency "is aware that there are individuals and/or criminal enterprise organizations that are actively involved in the production of holograms. These fraudulent holograms are being used to effectively produce false passports, driver's licenses, tax stamps and credit cards."