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 the age of 21 is not 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, grocery stores, scannable fake id restaurants and nightclubs are scrambling for ways to stay one step ahead of these sporting fake ID cards in order to avoid infractions. Checking IDs is not enough. False identification is readily available and some young adults go to every effort to go to bars or buy alcohol and tobacco products from legitimate businesses. It could be a status symbol for the underage patron to “break free with it.”
Fake Identification
Although some fakes can be spotted easily, others are much more challenging to tell apart between genuine and those made at home on a computer. The very fact remains that no real matter what, the business enterprise establishment is going to be nevertheless be held in charge of serving minors if the alcoholic beverage control board or perhaps a police 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 age and authenticity of the person trying to enter or make purchases. These devices have age verification software that documents the process. An electronic readout is activated by swiping the magnetic strip on a driver’s license or identification card. This protects the bar or nightclub from admitting patrons that are not 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 is going to be stored in the unit through the application for future reference, if needed.
Self-Preservation
As a result, these businesses are protecting themselves from losing money and business on infraction enforcement. Like, businesses getting caught for serving minors can get a stiff monetary punishment of several hundred dollars on the first infraction. It increases with additional violations. Legal charges, such as adding to the delinquency of a minor, include attorney’s fees and possibly more fines.
In a few states, turning off a small business for the night following a raid on minors could cost hundreds or tens of thousands of dollars in revenue. In a few states, a third 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 go out of business.