High School Students Now Getting Easy Access To Fake IDs Through Social Media

High school and college-age students in the United States have been the primary market for manufacturers of fake identification for decades. As the legal drinking age is 21 years old in most states, the allure of being able to buy alcohol or gain access to a concert or event venue with a minimum age requirement drives many high school age youths to try and obtain fake IDs.

The use of fake identification by high school and college students appears to be on the rise according to a recent WIVB report, where the Governor’s Office was quoted as saying that “law enforcement confiscated nearly 50 fake IDs, supposedly issued from 10 different states” at a recent Fall Out Boy concert in Darien Lake, NY. Another 354 fake IDs, presumably from high school and college-age attendees, were confiscated at the 2015 Coachella Festival as previously reported by Inquisitr.

Given the severe consequences associated with the use of fake IDs, running the gamut from drunk driving accidents and identity theft to arrests and expulsion from high school or college, parents and law enforcement are highly motivated to stop ID fraud in its tracks. However, as Business Insider reported in detail late last year, social media has made obtaining a fake ID easier than ever.

“For bored teenagers looking to sneak into bars or clubs, buying an illegal fake ID has become scarily easy. They don’t need to rely on friends of friends, scribbled instructions or shady meetings in back alleys. Now, the local fake ID vendor is just an Instagram post or Reddit comment away.”

With high school students now able to connect with sophisticated fraudulent identity manufacturers as far away as China through Instagram, Reddit, and other social media networks, a natural concern is that teen drinking may be on the rise. In a recent post on the blog Troubled Teens, it was reported that in a survey of 12th grade high school students, “nearly one third of them reported having consumed five or more drinks in a row (binge drinking) at least once during the past two weeks. ”

The general sentiment among high school students on social media seems to be that having a fake ID is now the norm, as opposed to being a novelty limited to a select handful of trouble-making individuals.

Beyond the health and safety risks for high school and college students using fake IDs to obtain alcohol, the prevalence of fake identification creates a major liability issue for liquor stores and other businesses. A recent report by an ABC affiliate in Birmingham, AL, focused on the dilemma facing many store owners and clerks as they are forced to use their own discretion when validating IDs. Giving the massive variety of identity card security features utilized by different states, ranging from ghost images to laser engraving, to opacity marks and more, it’s no wonder that the average employee might have difficulty keeping up.

Given the ease of access to fake IDs for teenagers via social media today, perhaps increased education on the consequences of possessing a fake will become a priority. The average high school student might think twice about obtaining a fake ID upon realizing that their driver’s license could be suspended for up to a year in many states as a result.

[Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News]