New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a record number of people were arrested in 2017 for trying to use fake identification to purchase alcohol while under age in New York state. Investigators for the Department of Motor Vehicles and the State Liquor Authority along with law enforcement routinely conduct underage drinking and fake ID sweeps at venues that sell alcohol.

In 2017, the DMV investigators charged 843 people with attempting to buy alcohol with fake IDs and 171 people were cited for violations for drinking under the legal age. In total, 1,031 licensees were charged for selling alcohol to minors as well. Whether the store employees were simply ignoring their legal responsibilities or lacked ID readers, they suffered legal consequences all the same.

The SLA promotes compliance through a training program focused on reducing sales to minors and patrons who are already intoxicated. The number of business owners and their staff who completed this training increased from 5,803 in 2011 to 18,881 in 2017.

Governor Cuomo has put an emphasis on safety while focusing on deterring underage drinking and reducing the ability to purchase fake IDs.

The Importance of a High-Quality ID Scanner
Unfortunately, it’s not just New York residents who are utilizing fake IDs to purchase alcohol underage. The use of fake IDs is a nationwide problem and it is contributing to hazardous underage drinking. Because of this, the ability for businesses to identify and detect fake IDs is now more important than ever.

Before the ID readers business have access to today, employees of the venue were responsible for identifying underage patrons. However, humans make mistakes and aren’t always able to correctly determine if a customer is underage or not.

Fortunately, a table top scanner can quickly read and ID and determine if it’s fake or not. A table top scanner reads the barcode, magnetic stripe, or other information patterns on the ID card and collects the information from the card. This allows the magnetic stripe reader to tell if the ID is state-issued or not. If an ID is fake, it will have no information stored on the card. Or if someone is using another person’s ID with their picture put on it, the license scanner will be able to pull up the actual person’s photo and information.

Furthermore, ID scanners and other card reader devices can boost efficiency in businesses. In fact, 34% of field service workers use barcode scanning, 23% use mobile payment options, and 17% use RFID technology. This type of technology has changed over the years to keep up with today’s fast-paced lifestyle.

By utilizing a convenient table top scanner, bars, clubs, and concert venues can quickly and efficiently decide if someone is trying to purchase alcohol with a fake ID. This will increase the safety of both the venue and those individuals who are trying to drink while underage.