At a time when the threat against our national security is so high, we were shocked to learn that you can buy fake warrant cards on ebay for just a few quid.
One of our eagle-eyed followers sent us a link to a seller on eBay who is claiming to sell these ‘novelty’ items with one option including the image of a TV character.
However, there is a ‘drop down’ option that would enable the buyer to opt for a ‘custom version’ meaning that a would-be purchaser could get an image of their own face on the realistic warrant cards.
The cars themselves appear to have been designed on the same format as the Metropolitan Police warrant card but without the word ‘Metropolitan’ above the word ‘police’ at the top of the card.
The crest on the right of the warrant card is also missing, along with the braille markings which would normally be in the warrant card itself.
Needless to say, that these fake cards not only represent a very real threat to our national security, but they also mean that anyone buying them could use them in order to, for example, gain entry to someone’s property.
We have intentionally left out the details of the seller including the title under which these are being sold for obvious reasons.
According to eBay, 15 of these fake cards have already been sold and the item (at the time of writing this article) has 39 ‘watchers’.
The seller would appear to be ‘legitimising’ the listing by claiming that the fake warrant cards can be printed with two well-known TV characters faces on them.
However, the seller also states that: ”
“You can order a “Custom Version” [sic] with your Photo and details”
The listing also states that:
‘The cards are created with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator and printed on PVC CR80 Plastic Cards measuring 85.6 x 54mm (3.375 x 2.125 inches) in full colour front and back.
‘Also, there may be some slight differences between the card displayed and the one you receive.’
The seller is offering the option of ‘custom orders’ and states that:
‘If you order a customized card then you will need to provide me with some details.
‘For this card i will need a Name, Rank, Warrant Number and a Photo.
‘This information is provided solely at your discretion, but if i don’t receive the information for a custom field, then a Default or Blank option will be provided.
‘If you are not sure what details to provide then please email me for more information.
Delays in sending this information will delay your order.’
The listing includes the name and address of the seller including details of their website and facebook page (which we are not revealing for obvious reasons).
Needless to say, that we have tweeted a link to this article to the National Crime Agency, the Met Police and eBay and will provide them with the link to the seller if/when requested.
If you have a story or one-off blog that you would like to share with us, then you can contact our team of former emergency services personnel either through our Facebook page, via twitter ( @ES_News_ ) or you can contact us via email: contact@emergency-services.news
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