Hyper-Realistic Masks

Perpetrators of crime have now gone high tech. Thieves have found another innovative way to disguise themselves during the commission of a crime. Gone are the days of donning a nylon stocking or ski mask to conceal their identity. Bank robbers are now  using hyper-realistic masks. These masks are so lifelike, they can make a young 20 year old man look like someone 50 years older, or make you look like a different race or ethnicity.

The company that produces these masks is SPFXMasks, in Van Nuys, CA. Randy Slusser, who owns the company is enjoying an unexpected boost in sales due to this new development. Nonetheless, he is not happy about how his masks are being used.

In Ohio, a bank robber used one of Slusser’s masks during a robbery. The robber was a Caucasian male, but wore a mask that made him appear as an African American. The mask was so convincing that police later mistakenly arrested an African American man. The perpetrator, Conrad Zdzierak, had apparently inquired about these masks prior to purchasing one from Slusser. When he was later caught, he had two of the masks in his safe, one of a African American man and one of an elderly Caucasian man.

The FBI is now investigating the possibility that a bank robber in Southern California known as the Geezer Bandit, may be a young man with one of Slusser’s masks as well. The elderly man that has thus far successfully robbed multiple banks around Southern California bears a striking resemblance to Slussers “Elder” mask.

One of these hyper-realistic masks was also recently used by a Chinese man, who was seeking asylum in Canada. He was able to successfully get through airport security in Hong Kong, and was thought to be an elderly Caucasian man.

These masks are so incredibly life like because the company has found a way to use just the right mixture of silicone that fits a person’s facial structure well. Each hair on the mask is human and hand sewn. Artists paint the masks to reflect the smallest details and the end result is an incredibly realistic mask. It is likened to a mask one might find in a Mission Impossible movie. In ten seconds someone can instantly transform their identity. Fake hands can be purchased with the mask, to make a flawless transformation from young to old, or from race to another.