Walking confidently through the aisles of a San Mateo store to ring up two cases of Longboard Lager, Aragon senior Sean* didn’t flinch when the angry man behind the counter demanded to know how old he was.
“Twenty two,” Sean replied coolly. “Wanna see my ID?”
The clerk behind the counter agreed, and, after looking at Sean’s fake ID, proceeded to let him buy the alcohol.
This was not Sean’s first time using a fake — he acquired his first one two years ago at the age of sixteen. Many other high schoolers nationwide also use fake IDs to bypass age restrictions, including many upperclassmen at Aragon.
The culture of fake IDs on the Peninsula has been around for a number of years.
“I would say at least 15 [seniors had fakes last year]. Our senior class was so bad. Even some of the good kids wanted fake IDs,” says Aragon alumna Katrina*, who graduated in 2015. “But still, Aragon’s not nearly as bad as some of the other schools [around the Bay].”
PURPOSE
The main motivation for getting a fake ID is easy access to alcohol.
According to Aragon student James*, “[Having a fake] is more accessible than just having other friends do it. It’s weird just asking a bunch of people to buy [alcohol] for you.”
Additionally, though both practices are illegal, many students agree that having a fake ID is better than stealing alcohol.
“It’s definitely more safe,” says Aragon student Sarah*. “When you steal, it’s kind of sketchy. Even though Safeway doesn’t have a chase policy, you still kind of have to get away with it.”
“It’s less wrong to at least pay for [alcohol] than actually steal,” Aragon student Steven* adds.
However, there are other uses for the fakes. “[I use it to] go to hookah lounges; you have to be 18,” Sean says.
“[My friend also] used his fake ID to get his medical marijuana card,” says Katrina.
The legal age to buy a marijuana license is 18.
“It’s easy to get a medical marijuana card. They mainly ask you if you’re in high school. But he told them the first time — they asked, ‘Oh, are you in high school?’ and he said ‘Yeah’ and the lady’s like ‘No.’ Then the lady at the front desk said [to] come back on Monday. Then he came back, and there was different doctor, and he said, ‘Yeah, you can have one,” says Katrina.
ACQUISITION
Many upperclassmen buy fake IDs to use in the future.
“One of the main reasons I got it is for college, to go out to bars and stuff,” says Aragon student Theodore*.
A study done with a pool of 3,720 undergraduates found that the number of students with fake IDs increased from 12.5 percent the summer before college to 32.2 percent during the second semester of their sophomore year.
“My [college] friends go to bars and they say [fake IDs] are a necessity,” says Steven.
Often, students acquire IDs from older relatives or friends who they look similar to.
Aragon’s Student Resource Officer, Steve Bennett, says, “It’s more common [for an underaged person] to say [to a 21 year old] ‘Hey, I’ll give you 50 bucks or 100 bucks to go to the DMV and say you lost your ID and then get a new one.’ So it’s not fake, it’s just not you.”
Sarah uses her older sister’s ID, who is over 21.
“My sister gave it to me. She was like, ‘Oh here, use this whenever you need it,’” Sarah explains.
Though the ID is real, she still runs the risk of getting it taken away. “They’ve obviously questioned the expiration, but only one person has. It hasn’t really been a problem.”
Sean used a similar tactic to acquire his fake.
“I have my cousin’s [ID, and he] that looks exactly like me if I suck in my cheeks,” he explains. “It doesn’t expire until 2017. [My cousin] had an extra one, so he gave it to me one day when he found it.”
However, Sean has also bought fakes from vendors.
“My brother actually told me about [the seller], because he got his when he was a senior,” Sean explains. “I just had to email him, and he took my photo.”
“They’re pretty easy to get; it’s not that hard,” says James. “[My friend] knows someone who can get it for us. I know the supplier guy who does it all; you can just pay him the money then you get it.”
There are also online services that sell fakes, though these can be tricky to deal with. Many of these companies are located overseas in China, where the copyright and counterfeit laws in the US do not apply, though there are also some sites within the country.
“[A] San Jose [supplier] gives you a free second duplicate while the one online … only gives you a duplicate if the first one is taken away,” says Steven.
However, price is also a large factor in choosing where to buy—fake IDs can range from $50 to upwards of hundreds of dollars.
“The price is much better online, because it’s $50 versus $125,” says Steven.
CONSEQUENCES
There are some tactics to evade getting caught — James, Steven, and Theodore* all are in the process of purchasing non-Californian IDs, since other state IDs are less recognizable to police officers or bouncers.
While all IDs list basic personal information — full name, date of birth, eye and hair color, height, and weight — there are smaller components of the cards that are specific to each state. California, in particular, has the outline of a brown bear, color images only visible under black or UV light, a magnetic stripe, and a 2D barcode.
Police have various ways to check if an ID is fake.
“I can always be sure because I can always run an ID through all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada. We can verify through a computer if that person actually has an ID in that state, so I can run it … and if it comes back to that person, then I’ll know it’s a good ID,” Bennett says.
Theodore adds, “California IDs are not gonna work next year because they’re remaking them. For planning purposes, I guess it’s easier to go elsewhere. It kind of varies by state; some states are more flimsy, so they’re more easily detected as fake.”
When an officer finds a fake ID, there is a certain procedure for processing the violation.
Bennett explains, “I would do what’s called cite and release that person. I would essentially write them a ticket, it’s more than a traffic ticket, but it’s still the same procedure where I give them a court date in the future, and then I give that to them and they sign, promising to appear, but they’re not admitting guilt … I [also} write a police report, kind of getting all of the facts.”
Owning a fake ID does have large legal consequences.
“The maximum sentence on a misdemeanor is up to one year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine. Felonies are everything beyond that,” Bennett says. “I will say this; that’s the maximum, but for doing this you would never even get jail time. You would get put on probation. You have to pay some fines and court fees. These are just rough estimates, but you may have to pay $500 in court fees, and you will be on probation for one year.”
However, the reality of getting caught may be less severe.
“A couple of my friends got theirs taken away. There’s nothing that really happens; they’re just like ‘Oh, this is fake,’ and it’s kind of an awkward situation but they just let you go,” explains James.
With the variety of motivations and means to get fakes, it is clear that Aragon students won’t stop purchasing fake IDs. Despite the potential consequences, the privileges that come with having a fake has kept and will keep the fake ID culture alive.
*STUDENTS’ NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THEIR PRIVACY.
