Whether you’re the bartender at a local club or the cashier at a liquor store, you are responsible for selling substances that are not legally available to minors. To determine of your customer is of legal age for consumption, you will need to know how to check identification, and consequently how to spot a fake ID. This isn’t terribly difficult if you pay attention to the customer and to the ID, but sophisticated technology has made this slightly more complicated.
Nervousness
A great way to tell if someone is trying to pass off a fake ID is nervousness. Does the customer appear to be scared when you look at his driver license, and does he fidget at the counter? Keep in mind that some people are naturally nervous, so make sure you have other indications as well.
Since some states allow years to go by before a person needs to get a new driver license, use the customer’s facial features as the safest way to spot a fake ID. For example, if the person in the picture has high cheekbones and a broad forehead, it probably isn’t the customer with no visible cheekbones and a narrow forehead.
Tampering
Some people try to pass off fake IDs, but fail to realize that the signs of tampering are obvious. For example, a driver licenses with rough, abraded edges could potentially be fake, as could one with fuzzy numbering or unclear writing on the license.
Expiration
By law, an expired driver license or state identification card is not a valid form of ID. This is because older siblings of teenagers can give their younger counterparts old fake IDs when they get their new one. Don’t assume that just because they look alike, they must be the same person, and don’t take an ID with an expired date.
Design
If you live in Texas, it’s a good idea to get a recent picture of a current driver license if you want to spot a fake ID. Knowing what the card should look like will help you identify one that is clearly fake, and will save you the trouble of looking at everything else for clues. Changes in coloring and order of information are frequently changed.
More ID
You are completely within your rights to ask a customer for a second form of identification if you think you’ve been presented with a fake ID. If the names on the two identification cards don’t match, then you’ve likely sniffed out a fraud.
Question Verification
You are also within your rights to question a customer about information on the driver license. Ask him or her to give the address, birth date, zodiac sign, age, height, weight or any other data to spot a fake ID. If the information given isn’t accurate, then you can refuse the sale of alcohol or tobacco or lottery tickets.
