Using fake IDs to buy alcohol and get into bars is nothing new, but the availability of fake IDs is at an all time high.
Students are ordering fake IDs online, some costing several hundred dollars. These IDs are embedded with reflectors and scan just like a real ID would. To the untrained eye, and even to some trained eyes, real and fake IDs are indiscernible from each other.
The staff of The Rocket feels that the availability of fake IDs makes it too easy for minors to obtain them, and that kids having such easy access to alcohol means trouble for not only themselves, but also for the Slippery Rock community as a whole. A crackdown on these fake IDs is important.
There are obviously inherent problems with allowing minors to buy and consume alcohol. That’s why there are laws designed to prevent it from happening.
Aside from the effect on brain development, it also endangers countless underage students in ways they might not be able to predict.
There should be a bigger crackdown on fake ID distributers who have websites online. Unfortunately, most fake ID distributors who are online are stationed out of the United States, making it harder for the U.S. government to crack down on the distribution of the IDs over the internet.
Obviously, stores that sell alcohol are and should be wary of minors who attempt to buy alcohol by using fake IDs. Since getting a fake ID is easy and, in some cases, IDs look very legitimate, it is important for clerks who work for the distributors to test a buyer about the personal information found on the fake IDs.
In this case, if the store worker believes the buyer may be a minor or appears very young, asking them to recite the information on the identification card that they’ve presented could be an easy way to detect a minor using a fake.
Asking students to provide a second form of ID if the cashier is uncertain of the customer’s age would also help in sorting out questionable IDs. If the information doesn’t correspond to the second form of ID, then the cashier can rest assured knowing that they didn’t serve to a minor.
In general, using a fake ID in a college town doesn’t seem to make very much sense anyway.
It’s only several short years before most students can purchase alcohol, and those of us on staff who are 21 and older can attest to the fact that going to the bar isn’t that great.
Is it really that imporant for you to try getting into Ginger Hill on Thursday night with your of-age friends if it means you might have to pay a hefty fine? We don’t think so.
It also isn’t worth endangering the lives of underage students who may not know their limits before getting access to alcohol.
Checking for fake IDs is a responsibility that all of the bars and distributors in the area have. It’s important that we protect everyone in the community.
