Any business owner who deals with age-restricted products or services needs to know how to spot fake IDs. This is an essential part of ensuring your business stays compliant with the national rules and regulations. Additionally, a violation of these laws doesn’t just put you at risk of hefty fines, but your establishment can even be closed down completely!

Here are some highly effective tips for detecting a fake ID.

Scan the ID’s Magnetic Strip

One of the easiest ways to detect a fake ID is by scanning its magnetic strip. Fake ID card makers have come a long way, and these cards now look more realistic than ever. However, people often lack the funds needed to actually encode the magnetic strip of the card.

This easily leaves the card vulnerable to an ID card scanner since a quick swipe will tell you whether the card is legit or not. Scanning the ID into a properly networked scanner is the best way to spot a fake ID as it instantly performs a thorough authenticity check and records the magnetic strip data into the server. 

Examine the Details

You probably already know that many young individuals in Australia try gaining access to age-restricted activities through real ID cards that are borrowed from friends and relatives. As a result, when you swipe it into your scanner, no alerts will show up. After all, the ID is perfectly real; the person using it is the ‘fake’ deal here.

So, take your time to compare the person on the card with the person using it. Once the scan comes out positive, closely examine the cardholder and compare their features with the ID card picture. A quick but thorough look is all you really need to figure out whether the person in front of you is using somebody else’s ID or not. 

P.S. Keep in mind that this counts as identity theft and should be reported to law enforcement. 

Check for Foils

No matter what part of the world you’re from, most identity verification cards now come with foils and holograms that are nearly impossible to replicate. Foils and holograms are basically part of safety measures that were taken to prevent the use of fake IDs and make them much easier to detect.

A simple turn of the ID will show you whether it’s real or not. If the ID card has visible foils and the holograms fade in and out when you move it around, it is real. Conversely, if the hologram is constantly visible, it is probably fake.

Ask the Right Questions

The whole point of a fake ID is to offer authoritative figures some form of false information. While people nowadays put in great care to ensure the ID looks realistic and passes different checks, they often forget to make a note of the false information it contains.

Most people won’t have this false information memorized. On the other hand, even if they do the exact contents of the ID, they are likely to answer incorrectly when put on the spot. Therefore, asking questions is a great way to detect a fake ID.

These questions don’t need to be complicated. Simply ask them for information that the ID card already contains. However, you should frame the questions in a way that can confuse the cardholder. For example, if you suspect that the ID card has a falsified date of birth, ask the holder how old they are instead of which year they were born since they might have memorized the year on the card.

If the holder takes some time to do the math before answering, you know it is highly likely that they are using a fake ID.