Trooper discovers a lot of counterfeit instruments used to commit identity theft/financial fraud

I recently did two posts:

Is tracking fraudulent refund information effective and could it be putting people at risk of becoming an identity theft victim?

Paper weapons (counterfeit documents) enable more serious crimes than illegal immigration and identity theft

I wrote both of these to show how easy criminals seem to be getting around existing systems designed to stop them.

Here is a rather obscure story that illustrates how widespread counterfeit identification and the use of other people's identities to commit crime might be.

Santiago Esparza of the Detroit News reports:

Troopers with the Michigan State Police Richmond Post stopped a man and a woman on eastbound Interstate 94 near Joy Road and discovered much more than two people not wearing seat belts.

The troopers found dozens of driver's licenses, social security cards, credit cards, debit cards and check cards. The troopers also found checks, check registers and other items that could be used to purchase items with fake identification, according to a Michigan State Police press release issued today.

Santiago's story, here.

I doubt if the two people were using their own identities to purchase, or return merchandise. IT also doesn't look like they had a problem getting a lot of other people's information to use for illicit purposes.