People do some pretty outlandish things in the name of identity theft. They might steal credit card numbers or pretend to be employed at something they are not, as did Frank Abagnale Jr. the real-life protagonist of Catch Me if You Can. Due to their wealth and prominence, famous faces can often be targets for identity theft, but a recent attempt involving the face of Jack Nicholson may just take the cake.
Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros, a 41 year-old resident of Recife, Brazil, had been using fake identities for a while, before finally being arrested on Tuesday. He'd mastered the art of using other people's information to open credit cards and bank accounts, and in one case, a business license; however, due to the large amount of forgery Barros was getting into, the police were beginning to catch on. Then, he made one fatal mistake.
On Tuesday, Barros headed to a bank in Recife where CBS News reports the man attempted to open yet another bank account, this time using a fake identification card featuring a picture of none other than actor Jack Nicholson.
Barros must have been feeling pretty secure about his ability to forge if he was using a photograph of a celebrity who is more than thirty years his senior. Apparently, he assumed using Nicholson’s picture with the name Joao Pedro dos Santos would be enough to keep him out of trouble. Busted. Although, I will say Nicholson is looking pretty fine against the green backdrop of the false Brazilian ID.
