She enters the bar. Heart pounding and pulse racing, she approaches the counter to order her drink. The only thing standing between her and the assortment of colorful liquor in front of her is the bartender. She’s only 17, but to everyone around her she’s a totally legal, totally believable 22-year-old college student. She hands the barkeep her fake ID, keeping calm and keeping herself composed. He looks at it hard, examining all of it’s details. She stands there in suspense as he delivers his final verdict.

He bought it. She orders her drink and he delivers. The night has officially begun for Sarah Miller, a student whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

Fake IDs are not a new concept. Whether they’re used to get into bars and clubs or buy bottles of alcohol in a retail store, fake IDs have been used by underage youth for decades to get a taste of adulthood before the law allows.

The Customer

“Everything is so much more fun when you’re above the age of 21,” Miller said. “The best thing about having it is not having to look at an age limit for going places.”

Ever since May of last year, Miller has used her fake ID to get into bars, buy alcohol from the liquor store for her and her friends and purchase drinks at restaurants, clubs and other social establishments. She heard about someone selling fake IDs through a friend in college and she decided to spring for one.

While actually using the ID is as easy as pulling it out of her wallet, it’s looking the part and convincing the bouncer, bartender or cashier that can present a challenge to Miller.

“After my birthday on the ID it said I turned 23,” Miller said. “I feel like when I dress up a lot, I look at least between the ages of 21-22, but I feel like 23 might be pushing it a little bit.”

While her fake ID is scannable and quality made, Miller said there have been times when she was denied service or not permitted to purchase liquor from a store.

“If it doesn’t work, they just give it back to me and say they’re not going to sell to me,” Miller said. “Sometimes at bars they may look at it for a pretty long time but eventually they’ll let you in.”

The Distributor

With such a high demand for fake IDs among high school students, some high school and college students became middle-men between those who want to buy the fake and those who produce the product.

Lindsey Green, a student whose name has been changed to protect her identity, provides one such connection.

“As I’ve approached senior year, a lot of my friends have wanted IDs because everyone’s going out and everyone wants to drink,” Green said. “I have friends that are in fraternities right now that basically have all the hook ups for fake IDs, so if somebody asks me for an ID, I’ll text one of them.”

Green said she has helped about 10 people get fake IDs and will continue to provide a connection for friends even though she doesn’t recieve any money for her risk.

The Penalties

Student Resource Officer Joe Early said any student, such as Green, caught trafficking fake IDs typically is charged with a misdeamor that could include a fine and a maximum penalty of up to a year in prison.

Officer Early has noticed a trend in more convincing fake IDs over the past few years, but said IDs are more difficult to produce now than ever before due to design complexity, so many minors are using a friend or sibling’s valid ID as their own, which can be hard to catch.

While the ID used is not technically fake, using someone else’s ID to purchase alcohol results in the same charge if caught. This charge could include a fine of up to $1,000, a class A misdemeanor that cannot be removed from your record, as well as possible charges issued to the owner of the real ID.

Buyers 16 or under caught with a fake are considered minors and deal with their charges through the family court in the juvenile system. Anyone 17 or older is considered an adult in the eyes of the law and must go to court for the charge issued.

Officer Early has confiscated fake IDs from students a few times while at MHS, but he mostly has seen fake IDs while working outside of school.

“When kids are out trying to get into a club or a bar or trying to purchase alcohol or cigarettes, those places will call and say, ‘Hey, I think we have a fake ID here’,” Officer Early said.
Officer Early said establishments are expected to call the police whenever a suspected fake ID is used, but not all businesses call.

The Collector

Gary Bilder, owner of Lukas Wine & Spirits, St. Louis, has never involved the police, but rather confiscates every ID he identifies as fake to prevent future use.

To identify a fake ID, Bilder checks the hologram and laminate on the ID and asks the buyer to give information such as his or her zodiac sign or zip code. A poorly designed ID or information given that doesn’t match that on the ID may result in Bilder confiscating it.

Bilder calls him and his coworkers “collectors” because they’ve confiscated about 150 IDs within the past 15 years. Although, Bilder said the collection is small.

“A big store doesn’t have as many fake IDs as a little store,” Bilder said. “People that try to buy with fake IDs always go to grocery stores or small liquor stores.”

Aside from business size, Bilder said a reason for the low use of fake IDs at Lukas is a result of word of mouth.

“If you’re a store that allows, or has a lax policy on fake IDs, you will get a lot of business,” Bilder said. “But if you’re a store like us that is adamant, the word on the street is pretty powerful.”

Although law requires only the alcohol buyer to be 21 years old, the policy at Lukas insists every person accompanying the buyer must be 21 as well.

“We want to save people’s lives,” Bilder said. “So if somebody says, ‘Oh well my sister’s not going to drink,’ I don’t believe them.”

The Opposition

While Lukas has been successful in confiscating fake IDs, Bilder said he’s sure some fakes have been used, undiscovered, at Lukas because fake IDs are getting better with new technology.
While a fake ID may seem alluring to some students, there are still some who oppose breaking the law.

Kristin Blake, senior, does not have a fake ID and never plans on having one.

“I believe there is more risk than benefit in drinking,” Blake said. “I don’t want to generalize, but I feel like a lot of high schoolers place their identity in drinking and that’s not where I want to place my value.”

While she isn’t against drinking when someone is of age, Blake sees underage drinking as too risky and the consequences too steep for it to be worthwhile.

“Drinking isn’t something that’s that important especially if you could risk getting a job or losing a scholarship,” Blake said. “I’ve talked to people who drink and from what I understood they were only doing it to keep up with their friends, and that’s not something that seems fun.”