As state and local authorities crack down on underage drinking, the fines and fees on businesses that sell alcohol to minors continues to increase. Anyone under age 21 isn’t permitted to buy or drink alcohol. Tobacco sales are age-restricted as well. Enforcement by federal, state and local officials is expected, and many bars, food markets, restaurants and nightclubs are scrambling for a method to stay one step ahead of the sporting fake ID cards to prevent infractions. Checking IDs isn’t enough. False identification is easily obtainable and some young adults go to every effort to visit bars or buy alcohol and tobacco products from legitimate businesses. It can be quite a status symbol for the underage patron to “break free with it.”
Fake Identification
Though some fakes can be spotted easily, others are much more challenging to tell apart between the real thing and those made at home on a computer. The actual fact remains that no matter what, the business enterprise establishment will undoubtedly be be held in charge of serving minors if the alcoholic beverage control board or perhaps a police force agency discovers they’ve done so.
ID Scanners
One way to combat this is through modern technology. There are now portable ID scanners available that help businesses verify this and authenticity of the person attempting to enter or make purchases. They have age verification software that documents the process. An electric readout is activated by swiping the magnetic strip on a driver’s license or identification card. OldIronsidesFakes This protects the bar or nightclub from admitting patrons that aren’t permitted to be there or denying illegal sales to minors. By purchasing these machines for hand-held or fixed use, establishments can weed out the minors and prevent trouble. The majority are battery-operated and decode magnetic strips by a simple swipe of the stripe. If the ID is false, an alarm will sound. The false information will undoubtedly be stored in the unit through the application for future reference, if needed.
Self-Preservation
Consequently, these businesses are protecting themselves from losing money and business on infraction enforcement. As an example, businesses getting caught for serving minors can be given a stiff monetary punishment of several hundred dollars on the first infraction. It increases with additional violations. Legal charges, such as contributing to the delinquency of a minor, include attorney’s fees and possibly more fines.
In a few states, turning off a business for the night after having a raid on minors could cost hundreds or tens and thousands of dollars in revenue. In a few states, a next infraction results in automatic revocation of the liquor license and criminal charges as well. When a company loses its liquor license altogether, they will likely walk out business.