Welcome to Fake ID Club

A 16-year-old student has been given a suspended jail sentence for forging a Hong Kong identity card after complaining his photo on his actual ID was “too ugly”.

Fanling Court on Monday jailed Liu Can for three months, but suspended that sentence for three years, after police found the fake ID on the mainland-born student during a stop-and-search operation on August 19 last year.

The prosecution said Liu and two friends were acting “suspiciously” outside Tai Po Market MTR station that evening when they were intercepted by officers. When Liu removed his real ID from his wallet for officers’ inspection, the fake card fell out to the ground.

False identification (fake ID) is one of a number of ways that underage individuals obtain alcohol in the United States (Wagenaar, Toomey, Murray, Short, Wolfson & Jones-Webb, 1996). Fake IDs are highly prevalent among underage college students (with fake ID possession rates growing from 12.5% prior to college to 32.2% at the end of students’ second year at one large state university campus; Martinez, Rutledge & Sher, 2007). Moreover, they have been hypothesized to be one of the most common methods of alcohol obtainment for underage students (Fabian, Toomey, Lenk & Erickson, 2008).

Students possessing a fake ID have been found to be more likely than their peers to use alcohol (Durkin, Wolfe & Phillips, 1996; Martinez, et al., 2007). This association appears to strengthen over time as students approach (yet do not reach) the legal drinking age (e.g., pre-college fake ID possession was found to predict first-semester heavy drinking [β=.26], and sophomore fall fake ID possession was found to predict next-semester heavy drinking [β=.46]; Martinez et al., 2007). Of note, underage drinking is extremely problematic and is associated with many minor and serious consequences, (Hingson, Zha & Weitzman, 2009). Additionally, beyond facilitating illegal access to alcohol, it has been argued that “by choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law” (Amethyst Initiative website, 2008). From this perspective, getting and using a fake ID is problematic not only because it increases alcohol use (and related consequences) but because it represents a larger moral hazard by potentially inuring individuals to legal proscriptions on a range of behavior.

Although it is known that some group affiliations such as membership in a college fraternal or sororal (i.e., “Greek”) organization increase the likelihood of obtaining fake IDs (Martinez, et al., 2007), it is not currently known how exactly fake IDs are most commonly obtained and used (e.g., whether it is most often the case that fake IDs are used to gain entry to bars/clubs, or to buy alcohol at off-premise retail outlets), and how often individuals are caught deploying them. Also, it is not known whether and how specific methods of fake ID obtainment and use are associated with heavy drinking. From a prevention science perspective, knowledge of specific processes involved in alcohol access and subsequent use can potentially aid in the development and efficiency of interventions (Coie, Watt, West, Hawkins, Asarnow, Markman, et al., 1993). For example, data that describe fake ID obtainment and use could aid law enforcement efforts by providing information about where and how students are most likely to commit these legal infractions. Such data might also further elucidate the extent and means by which students “make ethical compromises.” Thus, we surveyed 1,098 students on the specifics of their fake ID obtainment and use.

Fake IDs are highly prevalent among underage college students, and are strongly associated with heavy drinking. However it is not currently known how exactly fake IDs are most commonly obtained and used, and how often individuals are caught. Such information could aid law enforcement and school personnel in their enforcement responsibilities, and might further elucidate the extent and means by which students “make ethical compromises” to gain illegal access to alcohol. A cross-sectional online survey of 1,098 underage students at a large Midwestern university indicated that comparable to previous findings, 21.0% reported possessing a fake ID (which was strongly associated with past-month frequent heavy drinking; OR=4.84, 95% CI=3.41–6.86). Of those with fake IDs, 93.5% reported having used them, and 29.1% reported having been caught. Greek (i.e., Fraternity/Sorority) members were more likely than others to obtain them through a Greek organization (OR=8.02, 95% CI=1.81–35.54). Also, men were more likely than women to buy (OR=2.74, 95% CI=1.57–4.77), yet less likely to be given them (OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.31–0.90). Future studies might examine whether and how fake ID capture reduces (or exacerbates) drinking over time.

Fake ID laws for children

Children cannot do any of the following:

• create and/or use a fake or false ID to get into a pub or nightclub, or to buy alcohol
• alter any form of ID in an attempt to appear older
• give a false ID to another child, so that they can get into a pub or nightclub, or buy alcohol
• use a fake or false ID to try and get a genuine ID, such as an evidence of age card.

Fake ID laws for adults

It is an offence to give a child your ID if it is likely to be used for any of the following:

• to get into a nightclub or pub
• to buy alcohol
• to obtain a genuine ID.

Impact on the community
Using a fake ID is not a victimless crime. It can have a big impact on local businesses and their reputations. Because of this, business owners will do their due diligence to ensure that they are complying with local and state laws, which ultimately are in effect to help keep people under 21 safe.

Business owners and employees at bars, liquor stores, restaurants and dispensaries are all required to carefully check IDs. They must confiscate fake IDs and turn them over to the police or else risk serious penalties. Employee’s jobs are often on the line as well. They may lose their job if they accept a fake ID, even if it was unintentional.

Risks when purchasing a fake ID
There is also personal risk when purchasing a fake ID because the information people share when buying one can be stolen. This includes your name, address, photo and other identifying information like eye color and height. Scammers can use this information to make fake travel documents, open financial accounts and commit other types of fraud using your name.

It is against local and state law to use or possess a fake ID, and enforcement is extremely strict. A CU Boulder student who has a fake ID confiscated may be required to appear in Municipal or State Court, which have jurisdiction over these types of violations. The court outcomes can range from an opportunity to earn a dismissal to penalties such as a conviction with a fine and potentially jail time in very aggravated circumstances.

Another potential outcome from a court proceeding is that the judge will likely require students to pay fees and participate in CU Boulder programs to help them reflect on any harm caused and learn to make better decisions in the future. These programs can include Student Conduct & Conflict Resolutions’ Restorative Justice Program (CURJ) and Off-Campus Housing and Neighborhood Relations’ Community Living class, both of which have fees separate from those imposed by the court. 

Using or possessing a fake ID is also a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. A first time violation of the fake ID policy could result in a referral to CURJ or SCCR, depending on the situation. After a second violation, or if a student violated policies in addition to the fake ID policy, SCCR may send the student a resolution meeting notice. 

Resolution meetings follow due process and students have the opportunity to speak about what happened. If a student is found responsible, SCCR may assign educational and administrative outcomes, which could impact your ability to participate in Education Abroad, serve in leadership positions or attend class.

With the right identity verification system, businesses can ensure that their customers are who they say they are, thereby preventing costly fraud, reputational damage, and data loss that can be caused by criminals. Even with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, cutting-edge identity verification solutions like AuthenticID can help you detect even the most sophisticated fraudulent documents.
However, there are still a lot of fake ID cards on the market, so we need to be vigilant.

Fraudsters’ tactics will continue to evolve, and AI-produced fake IDs will only get harder and harder to spot as the technology advances. However, businesses are not entirely helpless against these efforts.

When checking scans or submitted images of ID documents manually, there are a couple of tell-tale signs that an ID is fake, such as a missing or distorted hologram, missing state seals on driver’s licenses, a lack of machine scannable elements, and irregular or incomplete text. Comparing a legitimate ID against a suspected counterfeit should provide additional confirmation that the document is fake.

Certain businesses rely on identity verification systems to process the large volume of new account sign-ups they receive. They can also implement a number of checks and balances to combat fake IDs, even if they aren’t checking each one by hand.

One option is to not allow photo uploads of ID documentation when verifying customer identities. Instead, they should require new users to snap a photo of the document in real time. Since services like OnlyFake provide images of bogus documents, not physical copies, fraudsters would be unable to pass through ID verification with just an image.

Another layer of security is to implement liveness detection tests, requiring users to take a live photo of their face during account sign-up so it can be compared against the provided ID for validity.

In the past, getting a fake ID that’s compelling enough to bypass identity verification and know-your-customer (KYC) checks has not been impossible, though it’s not always been successful. The entire process might take a few weeks to a few months. Plus, it might be hard for spoofers to accurately replicate the holograms or watermarks the issuing state includes on their IDs. However, people can and have been getting fake IDs produced for decades.

Now, with AI technology, it’s going to become easier and quicker than ever.

When you first think of the person who is trying to obtain a fake identification card (ID), your mind might jump to a 19-year-old who wants an ID showing they’re above the age of 21 so they can get into a bar with their friends. And you wouldn’t be wrong–some reports show that 69% of college students surveyed have owned or used a fake ID at some point.

While this is certainly an illegal activity that comes with a long list of consequences for perpetrators, there are other, more insidious reasons why criminals want to get their hands on a good fake ID.

One reason is to engage in synthetic fraud, which is a type of identity theft where a fraudster uses a combination of both stolen and fictitious personal information to create a brand-new identity. For instance, maybe they’ll steal one person’s Social Security number, someone else’s home address, and come up with a fake name to create a synthetic identity.

Getting a fake ID with all of this information helps to legitimize their new, false identity and support their fraudulent schemes–like applying for credit cards, loans, or other financial accounts. In fact, a report our team put together earlier this year highlights the fact that 55% of businesses in the United States say they received the submission of fake or modified physical documents in 2023.