Originally published in 2017

Spotting Military ID Cards Is Not Hard

If Someone Sends You A Photo Of Their Military ID Cards They Are A Scammer!

That is because it is illegal for United States Military personnel to copy their ID cards. It is that simple!

However, so many people want to understand how to make sure they are fakes that we have created the following to help spot fake Military ID Cards.

NOTE: Before you say it, this page blocks all of Africa and Most of the Middle East. We do our best to restrict our information to real victims only. However, scammers are actually very slow to adopt new information since it is so hard for them to change once they have learned a working model.

United States Military ID Cards Are Called “CAC” – Common Access Cards

Common Access Card (CAC): The CAC Military ID Card (a “smart” card about the size of a credit card), is the standard identification for active duty uniformed Service personnel, Selected Reserve, U.S. Department of Defence [DoD] civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel.  It is also the principal card used to enable physical access to buildings and controlled spaces, and it provides access to DoD computer networks and systems.

CAC Military ID Cards Types & Eligibility

The four different types of Military ID Cards are listed below.  The card you will be eligible for will be determined by your “Sponsor,” the person affiliated with the DoD or other federal agency responsible for verifying and authorizing your need for an ID card.  The uses of the card depend on the component/Command that you support.  Each component/Command can customize the CAC to meet its specific needs.

Armed Forces of the United States Geneva Conventions Military ID Cards

The standard card for active duty personnel in accordance with Geneva Conventions requirements.

• • Active Duty Armed Forces
  • Selected Reserves
  • Reserve and National Guard Members on active duty for more than 30 days
  • Contracted Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • U.S. Public Health Services (PHS)

Affiliation:

• • Displays Branch Of Service

U.S. DoD and/or Uniformed Services Military ID Cards

The standard card for qualifying civilian employees, contractors, and foreign national affiliates who need access to DoD installations, and computer systems.

• • DoD and uniformed Services civilian employees (appropriated and non-appropriated)
  • Eligible DoD, USCG, and NOAA contractors
  • Non-DoD civilian employees to include: USCG and NOAA, state employees working in support of the National Guard, Intergovernmental Personnel Act employees, and non-DoD federal employees working in support of DoD

Affiliation:

• • Senior Executive Service (SES)
  • Civilians
  • Civilian affiliates
  • Federal affiliates
  • Military affiliates

U.S. DoD and/or Uniformed Services Geneva Conventions Military ID Cards for Civilians Accompanying the Armed Forces

The standard card for civilians accompanying the Armed Forces.

• • Emergency-essential civilian employees
  • Contingency contractor personnel

Affiliation:

• • Senior Executive Service (SES)
  • Civilians
  • Contractors

U.S. DoD and/or Uniformed Services Military ID Cards and Privilege Card

The standard card grants applicable benefits and privileges for civilian employees, contractors, and foreign national military, as well as other eligible personnel.

• • DoD and uniformed Services civilian employees (appropriated and non-appropriated) when residing on a military installation within the United States and U.S. Territories and Possessions, or when stationed or employed and residing in foreign countries for at least 365 days
  • DoD contractors when stationed or employed and residing in foreign countries for at least 365 days
  • DoD Presidential appointees
  • Uniformed and non-uniformed full-time paid personnel of the Red Cross assigned to duty with the uniformed Services within the United States and U.S. Territories and Possessions when residing on a military installation, or in foreign countries
  • Eligible foreign military

Affiliation:

• • Senior Executive Service (SES)
  • Civilians
  • Contractors
  • Civilian affiliates
  • Federal affiliates
  • Military affiliates
• Images are kept small to help prevent potential abuse.

CAC Military ID Cards Color Coding

•  Blue Bar: Non-U.S. Citizen

• 

• Green Bar: Contractors

  

• White: All Remaining Personnel

  

It Is Unlawful To Photograph, Scan, Photocopy, or Otherwise Duplicate United States Military ID Cards

It is the same for ALL United States Government ID Cards

The law reads, “Whoever manufactures, sells, or possesses any badge, identification card or other insignia of the design prescribed by the head of any department or agency of the United States for use by any officer or employee thereof, or any colorable imitation thereof, or photographs, prints, or in any other manner makes or executes any engraving, photograph, print, or impression in the likeness of any such badge, identification card, or other insignia, or any colorable imitation thereof, except as authorized under regulations made pursuant to law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”

Commercial establishments can ask to see your card to verify military affiliation or to provide government rates for services, but they can’t photocopy it. So if they ask to do so, tell them no. Give them a state driver’s license or another form of photo identification instead.

Photocopied cards might be used for counterfeiting purposes, with no real safeguards against it. Since criminals and terrorists value U.S. government IDs when they’re trying to plan acts against the U.S. military, civilians, or other persons it is best to not give them that chance. Thus, any stranger you meet online who shows you a government ID card is automatically a scammer.

This law does NOT apply to medical establishments like hospitals and doctor’s offices that are allowed to make a copy for filing insurance claims. It also doesn’t apply to other government agencies that are using the copied ID to perform official government business.