WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Screeners at airports in the United States are using new tools to detect forged driver's licenses, passports and other travel documents.
Beginning in January, the Transportation Security Administration provided employees with hand-held black lights that illuminate the holograms found in licenses and passports, USA Today reported Monday.
Screeners are also being given magnifying glasses to read the small inscriptions found on passports and other IDs.
USA Today said closer scrutiny of passenger IDs is the latest effort to improve security after the TSA took over the job of checking passenger IDs and boarding passes six months ago.
"This is a significant security upgrade," TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said.
Hawley told USA Today the TSA screeners are trained to spot forged documents and suspicious behavior.
Since June more than 40 passengers have been arrested after TSA screeners spotted their altered passports, fraudulent visas or forged driver's licenses.
