LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With high-tech devices and the power of the internet at their disposal, more underage drinkers are slipping past security guards at local nightspots.
That's why venues that serve alcohol in Louisville are cracking down.
"I know those college kids are trying to have a good time and pushing the limits of the bar staff," said Ashley Roach, who has been bartending in Louisville for nearly a decade.
Fake IDs are nothing new, but what is new is the sophisticated methods for producing them.
"In today's world, you can purchase just about anything off the Internet," said Ronald Fey, chief of Louisville Metro ABC.
It gives teenagers easier access and makes it more difficult for bartenders and bouncers to separate the authentic from the fake.
"I think it's very prevalent in the more Germantown area and closer to campus," Roach said.
"People will try to show you a picture (of an ID) on their phone," she said. "We stay away from doing that."
Metro ABC has already shut down the 21st bar in Germantown after officials said they observed its staff serving alcohol to underage drinkers without checking for proper ID. The bar has recently reopened, and the owner told us changes have been made so it doesn't happen again.
We asked a couple of college students if they know anyone with fake IDs.
"I definitely know people that do, yeah," said 18-year-old Drew Donohue, who also said he doesn't know of anyone who has been caught with one.
Fey said nine detectives are assigned to work in different areas across the city to spot underage drinkers. He said they're finding a lot of fake or altered IDs when doing checks at restaurants and bars.
"A lot of the establishments are really good at identifying those, and sometimes they're left behind and they turn them in to us," Fey said, adding that the biggest problem they've encountered is "establishments not taking the time to identify someone or ask for that ID."
Even though advanced tech can make fake IDs look more real, Fey said it's important that people who serve alcohol recognize common red flags:
- The thickness of the plastic - does it bend easily?
- Obvious modifications to the ID.
- The picture on the ID doesn't look like the person presenting it.
- A lack of holograms on the ID.
Fey said people checking IDs can often tell it is fake by the way the person behaves when they present it.
"People have that guilty conscience," he said. "If they present something that is false and you confront them about that, you can tell based on their body language."
When in doubt, it's perfectly OK to ask patrons for a second form of ID, like a credit card or another picture ID. There's no penalty for turning a customer away who appears underage, Fey said.
Anyone caught by police with a fake ID will have it taken away and could be issued a citation for a misdemeanor.
"It's illegal, so that's probably the biggest deal," Donohue said.
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