
“I’ve never had any trouble with it because it’s a real, authentic Georgia ID of someone who is 21.” We look somewhat similar, so it works,” said a student who also wished to stay anonymous. “I use an old ID of a friend who is already 21. “Most of the time it works, but sometimes I get turned away,” she said.īut other students want no cost to having fun, and prefer taking advantage of their doppelgängers. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, said she paid a friend $60 for her fake ID. This is due to IDs now having the barcode and magnetic strip that will be able to pass through the scanner.īut studying in the heart of Downtown, a lot of students don’t let their age compromise their ability to have some fun.

“Fake documents are easier than ever to make with new technologies,” Spillane said.

“We then call the police and have them come take a look at it.”įor a long time, fake IDs were created using laminated sheets and Photoshop, but for a lower price, online vendors can now provide more realistic IDs that are scannable in bars.ĭriver’s licenses all have a magnetic strip and a barcode on the back, and vendors of fake IDs can copy those onto a fake, according to, a website that sells ID scanners to nightclubs and bars. “If we see an ID that we know is fake, we decline the sale and take the ID and don’t give it back,” they said. The owner also provided some tricks they use to discern a fake, including asking the person for their address or zip code that is on the ID. “If the picture quality is bad, that’s a dead giveaway.” “We’ve been doing this a long time, so we know a fake when we see it,” the owner said. Their store lies half a mile from campus, and they said students often attempt to become a part of their customer base. The Signal spoke to a liquor store owner who wished to remain anonymous.

Additionally, for minors, the card’s orientation is vertical, whereas for people of age horizontal format is used.īut store owners around Atlanta say they don’t need fancy decorations to identify a fake ID. One such example is California, which uses a tactile date of birth and signature, illustrations of well-known California landmarks in the background, and an ultraviolet photo and date of birth. To combat usage of fake IDs, many states in recent years have added extra decoration, such as pictures and designs, to their licenses to make them harder to fake. This punishment is not as strict as it is in some states, such as Florida or Illinois, where the use of a fake is a felony with a fine of up to $100,000 and sometimes up to 10 years in prison. Possession charges can result in jail time, an automatic 6-month license suspension, fines, community service or probation. A Minor in Possession (MIP) charge in Georgia is usually a misdemeanor, and the consequences vary.
