How to spot a good fake ID
One of my favorite things in the world is the very specific, strange competencies that people develop over the course of a job. Carpenters might be able to estimate the length of anything just by looking at it, architects might be able to quickly sketch a remarkably accurate picture from memory, etc.
This post comes from one of those specific competencies. One of my friends in Boston is a bouncer at a busy bar. From his job, he’s gotten very good at spotting fake IDs.
This isn’t a skill a lot of people think about. Even bars don’t often think much about it. Most bars just employ a pretty cursory check of fake IDs: bend the ID to make sure it’s made from proper card stock, try to peel back the edges, check the picture against the person, and maybe quiz the person on their address. If they have the capability, the bars might try scanning the IDs as well, and see if the scan matches.
Good fake IDs will use the same card stock as real IDs. Their laminates won’t be able to be peeled back. Their photos will be photos that the person took themselves. Their data will be the actual data that the person inputted themselves, and the ID will be scannable. It’ll show that exact same ID’s data.
