Adnan, head security of Dogz Bar and Grill in Belmont Shore, looks for three red flags when checking IDs. First, he checks the ID with a black light and analyzes its patterns. Next, he calculates the date of birth and then compares the height of the person to the height on the card.
“I confiscate fake IDs so people using them can’t go anywhere else, and that helps prevent drunk driving and doing harm to themselves and others,” Adnan said. “We’re the Tom and they’re the Jerry.”
If the card falls short of passing his test, Adnan either keeps it for records or burns it without hesitation to call the police and contact the Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Although the IDs are fake, Adnan said that the problem is real and it’s growing. When asked if he has seen more fake IDs this academic year than the last, Adnan replied with, “Yes, definitely more.”
In the past two years, Adnan has acquired a collection of over 200 fake ID cards by confiscating them from aspiring bar hoppers under the age of 21.
“With every problem that is found with a fake ID one year, it will be fixed the next because fake IDs have become such a booming business,” Adnan said. Carousers either use fraudulent IDs or passed-down IDs to get into bars such as Dogz.
Frank Farfan, Commander of Detectives for the Long Beach Police Department, said fake IDs are trending more every year because they are becoming easier to make.
“Because of technology, the opportunity to make fake IDs is easier than ever before,” Farfan said. “With the use of computers and good laminators, people have made them look so real that it’s become difficult for even experts to detect if they’re fake.”
Not only are more people using fake IDs, but more people are also producing fake IDs. Greg McMullen, Detective and Terrorism Liaison Officer of Financial Crimes for the Long Beach Police Department, said fake IDs are constantly and discreetly being made.
“Unfortunately, procurement and distribution of fictitious identification documents or government-issued identification cards are readily available for purchase on underground or black market websites,” McMullen said.
It’s not difficult for people to get ahold of fake IDs nowadays, and according to Mark Reese, an Alcoholic Beverage Control agent, people buy them without knowing where they’re getting them.
“More kids are buying a couple of fake IDs that are horrible quality for about $200 from websites that, a lot of the time, rip them off or are not safe to provide personal information to,” Reese said.
“I think when you’re surrounded by older people, you want to be able to do all of the things that they’re doing,” said Emily Rosario, a sophomore majoring in business management at California State University, Long Beach. “The temptations to drink and get a fake ID continue to increase every time your older friends want to go out.”
McMullen noted that there are many uses for fake IDs extending beyond a late-night of debauchery.
“False identification cards are being produced and used for a myriad of activities,” McMullen said. “[This includes] immigration, financial crimes, identity theft, minors who attempt to gain admittance to adult venues, employment purposes, loans, rental property and much more.”
Long Beach Identity Theft Detective Andre Sanchez said immigration tops the list of issues he’s dealt with firsthand.
“Fake IDs are related to illegal immigration, where immigrants get some legitimate information of someone and become that person,” Detective Sanchez said. “I know an immigrant who took the identity of someone for 20 years. It becomes an identity crisis.”
In order to prevent people from using fake IDs, Adnan said restaurants and bars associated with the Belmont Shore Business Association, including Dogz Bar and Grill, have a monthly meeting to discuss and debunk new patterns they encounter with fake IDs.
If caught with a fake ID, the penalty can result in a minimum $250 fine and/or community service hours, and a maximum $1,000 fine and/or six months in county jail and a one-year suspension of a person’s driver’s license depending on previous charges, according to Reese.