A Passenger’s Xbox Set Off a TSA Alarm, Then Officers Found a Bag Full of Fake IDs

An Xbox in a checked bag set off an alarm at New York’s LaGuardia Airport earlier this month. The game system was allowed in the bag, but what TSA officers found when they searched it told a different story.

Inside the suitcase was a plastic bag holding several driver’s licenses. They had different dates of birth and different license classes, but the same photograph appeared on each one.

TSA shared the story on September 17, along with photos of the Xbox and the IDs with the caption, “When your game system gets you caught gaming the system…”

Port Authority police were called in after they found the licenses. By the time officers located the traveler, the flight was preparing to board, but the passenger reportedly never made the flight.

All IDs Had the Same Photo

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When your game system gets you caught gaming the system… https://t.co/QAHsTFin7h

— TSA (@TSA) September 17, 2026

TSA Officer Ashley Leo sent the luggage to the checked baggage resolution area, where Supervisory Transportation Security Officer Christopher Ramos searched it. Ramos found a plastic bag containing several driver’s licenses next to the Xbox.

“I noticed various driver’s licenses with different dates of birth and different class types, but all with the same photograph,” Ramos said in TSA’s account of the incident. He contacted a TSA manager after finding them, and the LaGuardia TSA Coordination Center, Port Authority Police Department and a TSA inspector were notified.

A few more people were involved before police took over. Ramos first called TSA Manager Caleb Bienne to the baggage area, and TSA says Bienne agreed with what Ramos had found.

Ramos then notified TSA Inspector Yanira Echevarria along with Port Authority police and the airport’s TSA Coordination Center. After looking into the licenses, Port Authority police determined they were fraudulent.

Police Found the Passenger Before the Flight Left

Police still had to find the person whose bag had been searched. According to TSA, they caught up with the passenger just moments before the flight was scheduled to board and made an arrest.

TSA has not released the passenger’s name, destination, or the total number of licenses found in the bag. The agency also has not said what the passenger planned to use them for.

Ramos said he had followed the normal screening process and watched for anything unusual. “When I discovered the fraudulent IDs, I knew it was important to report the situation through the proper channels,” he said.

The Xbox itself was not against TSA rules. Full-size video game consoles can be packed in either carry-on or checked luggage.

One of the Cards in TSA’s Photo Looked Familiar

One strange detail in the photos TSA released has nothing to do with the fraudulent driver’s licenses. Eddie Fu at Consequence noticed a Tyler, the Creator “Permanent License of Travel” card sitting with the other items.

The card comes from the rapper’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST era and uses his Tyler Baudelaire character. It was sold as merchandise and is designed to look like a travel document, but the driver’s licenses TSA identified as fraudulent show a different person.