You talkin to me? 'Robert De Niro' arrested in Romania

A petty forger tried to pass himself off as the Taxi Driver star when stopped by police.

A member of an east European forgery ring has been arrested after he tried to pass himself off as Robert De Niro during a roadside check.

When the man presented fake ID papers purporting to be the universally recognisable Oscar winner, sharp-eyed arresting officers in the eastern Romanian town of Lasi smelt a rat.

"He was even dressed up like the Hollywood star with a designer suit and sunglasses - but he didn't fool officers," the local constabulary told reporters.

"We knew that Robert De Niro would not be driving alone around a remote part of the country. We guessed he was an imposter."

Police subsequently inspected the man's home and linked him to a gang that supplies counterfeit documents to Moldovian workers seeking to enter western Europe.