Man tries to use fake Jack Nicholson ID for fraud

Sometimes I am pretty shocked at how stupid some criminals can be.

I think I've watched too many films where the bad guys are masterminding daring robberies and fooled myself into thinking they're all intelligent.

Brazilian fraudster Ricardo Sergio Freire de Barros has been caught after he tried to open a bank account using a fake ID that had a picture of Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson on it.

The 41-year-old was being tracked by police and was found to already have 36 cheque books and four credit cards.

Officials confirmed after the man's capture that there was "no resemblance between the suspect and the actor".

Mr Barros has been charged with using fake documents, but astonishingly he has denied it.

Maybe the criminal watched one too many of Nicholson's movies where he plays the bad guy – such as in The Departed or Batman – and convinced himself that the paperweight plan would work.

Posted by Mark Wilkins