If you drive hopefully you carry your driver’s license with you. And if you are in a situation where you need to prove your identity you have some legal form of identification.
I’m sorry but in the private sector I found managers that didn’t know which way was up BUT they made the decisions and I had a couple of managers that ordered us to violate state and federal law. These usually got nice raises! In the public sector that I worked in there were numerous ways to anonymously notify the ethics commission and/or city attorneys when someone was violating the law. So I disagree with your statement.
I watched a video on YouTube that was similar to your story. The guy , looking for his lost socks, climbed into the laundromat dryer and was transported to an office. A number of people were sitting while waiting for their number to be called. The rest is a blur, but I really enjoyed the story and laughed at it.
I understand! What you have experienced is definitely not uncommon!