Fake IDs almost better than the real thing
04 August, 2011
category: Government
Measures to ward off counterfeiting IDs have greatly increase over the last several years. States have added holograms, bar codes and other metrics to scare off counterfeiters who sell fake IDs to underage youth who want to hit the bars before they turn 21.
The Washington Post reports that the counterfeiters are now getting so good at their job that it’s virtually impossible to tell some fakes from the real IDs. Most of these fakes come from one source in China, who, for a price, will send an underage person an ID that gets past most bouncers and bartenders.
This phenomenon has contributed to underage drinking, particularly underage binge drinking, which leads to more underage drinking-related deaths.
As authorities start to crack down on establishments that serve underage drinkers, the establishments have started to respond by investing in extra ID scanning technology. The catch? Most state IDs aren’t perfect–they often contain errors. So the bars aren’t necessarily looking for a fake ID. They’re looking for an ID that’s too perfect, and then they know they’ve got their fake.
Read more here.