In the United States, more than seven million underage individuals consume alcohol every single year. Selling alcohol to minors is illegal across the country. However, 19% of teenagers – those between the ages of 12 and 20 – drink alcoholic beverages with varying degrees of frequency.
This can cause major mental and physical health problems for individuals and their families, given the addictive nature of alcohol. The effects of alcohol are even more detrimental for young people, who are yet to develop a physical and psychological resistance to it. In such a case, it becomes important for businesses to know how to spot fake IDs.
The Challenge for Alcohol Sellers
Selling alcoholic beverages and other age-restricted substances to minors is illegal and can lead to dire consequences. A liquor store may have to pay a hefty fine, face a lawsuit, or even have its license canceled for accidentally selling alcohol to an underage customer. This can lead to massive losses and might even cause the store to go out of business, which makes how to spot fake IDs crucial. The same problem is also faced by other businesses, such as bars and nightclubs, that offer age-restricted products or services for sale.
The Problem with Fake ID Cards
In the modern world, advancements in technology have made it very easy for minors to acquire fake ID cards and driving licenses. These fake IDs are professionally made and quite indistinguishable from the original ones, especially to the naked eye. These IDs are also easy and cheap to obtain, which has led to their proliferation.
According to reports, more than a quarter of underage drinking can be attributed to the easy availability of fake IDs. Many bars, pubs, nightclubs, and liquor stores are therefore investing in high-quality ID scanners to prevent any sale of alcohol to underage customers possessing fake IDs. For your convenience, mentioned below are some useful ways of how to spot fake IDs and eliminate the risk of underage liquor sales.
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Look Out for Suspicious Behavior
If a customer avoids eye contact, fidgets constantly, and looks inordinately nervous when buying an alcoholic beverage or having his ID card verified, then that can be an indication that they are using a fake ID. In this situation, the person checking the ID should pay special attention to avoid any mistakes. Of course, this is not a fool-proof method of identifying fake IDs, however, it can play a vital role in helping businesses avoid accidental sales of alcohol and other restricted products to minors.
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Training Staff Members
A well-trained staff is a great way to avoid underage sales of alcoholic beverages. Staff members should be trained on how to spot fake IDs. And the best way to do this is to ensure that they know what a real ID card or driving license looks like. Then, they can compare specific elements of an ID card and notice immediately if anything is amiss. For example, the thickness, size, type of material, and font size can all be used to determine the authenticity of an ID card. Moreover, if any words on the card are misspelled, that can also be a sure sign that a person is using a fake ID.
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Compare ID Data to Buyer
Most ID cards contain some basic information about the cardholder, such as their age, height, weight, etc. Therefore, you can compare the data on the ID card to the person using it to buy an age-restricted product. If an individual looks younger, shorter, or taller than what is mentioned on the card, they should be made to sign for their purchase, so that you can then have an opportunity to compare signatures. You can also quiz the individual on their date of birth, city of origin, and other such details to see if their answers match the data printed on the ID card. Someone using a fake ID card may give themselves away by forgetting to memorize their fake birthday.
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Install a Reliable ID Scanner
A fast, accurate, and reliable ID scanner should be considered an asset to the business and must be acquired as soon as possible. This device is quite infallible and can help you eliminate the risk of underage sales of liquor, tobacco, etc. By investing a small amount of money in a high-quality ID scanner, you will be able to save far more money on fines, license suspensions, legal fees, etc. An ID scanner can also keep a record of past scans, which will help put you in a much better legal position if you ever do face allegations of underage liquor sales.
In Conclusion
It can be said, therefore, that by adopting these four methods for identifying original and fake IDs, you will have a foolproof system for avoiding any underage sales. You should also ensure that all your staff members are properly trained to use an ID scanner for the best results.