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Comment by cmdkeen | Hacker News Reader

You'd no doubt be committing all sorts of criminal offences in both the US and whatever (Western) country you send them from. It makes for a much better reason for getting the authorities involved in a hacked account than just the initial hack.

It's also much less likely that someone will do it due to the hassle and lack of automation. Though no doubt some hot startup idea is about to be born...

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Committing a crime by doing what? Providing a utility bill that isn't legit/shows your name instead of mine? Providing a fake 'yearbook'? A 'bus card' to hijack an account?

Obviously hijacking an account is illegal, but the means to do it probably aren't: A good number of these 'proves' aren't special, aren't protected documents as far as I can tell. There's nothing illegal about 'forging' a yearbook page.

I'd say these measures are providing nothing but decent ways to hijack an account and have zero legitimate uses as means to identify myself to a random web application.

How is photoshopping a bank statement/utility bill for the sole purpose of activating a Facebook account a "criminal offense"?

The same question somewhat applies to government-issued IDs depending on state/country, since many laws regarding falsified IDs only apply to purchasing tobacco/alcohol.

In the UK it would be forgery - a forged instrument is "any document", and for it to be forgery they have to use it to "induce someone to accept it as genuine, and by reason of so accepting it to do or not to do some act to his own or any other person’s prejudice"

I seriously doubt that the US is going have to have less strict laws regarding forged documents. Just because you think it isn't illegal doesn't mean it actually is.

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