Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Current Events and Musings => News of the Day => Topic started by: MuffyBee on December 07, 2010, 05:15:30 PM



Title: UPS now requires photo ID to ship packages
Post by: MuffyBee on December 07, 2010, 05:15:30 PM
http://www.khou.com/news/UPS-to-require-photo-IDs-to-ship-packages--111455674.html
UPS now requires photo ID to ship packages
December 7, 2010

NEW YORK -- UPS is now requiring photo identification from customers shipping packages at retail locations around the world, a month after explosives made it on to one of the company’s planes.

The Atlanta-based package courier said Tuesday the move is part of an ongoing review to enhance security. The directive will apply at The UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc. locations and other authorized shipping outlets.

UPS customer centers have required government-issued photo identification since 2005.

In late October, a printer cartridge on a UPS cargo plane bound for Chicago was stopped in London after explosives were discovered. The package was later traced to a retail location in Yemen.

The stepped-up security also comes as UPS prepares for its busiest shipping day of the year. United Parcel Service expects to deliver 430 million packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 24 million packages alone on its busiest day, projected to be Dec. 22. That’s up 60 percent from a normal day.

"Since retail centers experience a significant increase in business from occasional shippers during the busy holidays, this enhancement adds a prudent step in our multi-layered approach to security," UPS Vice President of small business and retail marketing Dale Hayes said in a statement.

Shares of UPS Inc. rose 66 cents to $72.35 in morning trading Tuesday after rising to a 52-week high of $72.42 earlier in the session.


Title: Re: UPS now requires photo ID to ship packages
Post by: MuffyBee on December 07, 2010, 05:32:08 PM
I spoke with a friend that owns a UPS store, and he said he was given instructions yesterday to start doing the photo ID thing.  He said so far, none of his customers  have objected to showing the ID. 

Okay, I've got some questions.  First, how would anyone know if the ID were fake or not?  If a person were going to ship a bomb or some kind of evil device, it wouldn't be that difficult to get a fake ID, would it?  And they could show a fake ID, then say it's cookies they're shipping instead of the evil device. 

The package in question came from Yemen.  Women there were the hijab and abaya.(Khimar)  So what if the person shipping the package looks like this: (and it may not even been a woman under that) 
(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKoIlm3vginH-4Bxg2BC7dq42NIZHodFUhq1MIkYbQ2cjOaR7YPQ)

And what standard is there for the storekeeper to get the ID?  Are there any records being kept?  What if they don't look closely?  I don't even look like my driver's license...  What if the person shipping the package say they "forgot" their ID?  Will the package go out anyway without verification?

Somehow this just doesn't make me feel any safer.  Not when I've read about the huge container ships that get very little inspection...