Kids Back, Phony IDs Surfacing

By LIBBY CUDMORE•Hometown Oneonta

Edition of Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

The Chinese website www.reallygoodfakes.com could never be accused of false advertising. “They make fake IDs that fool the scanners at bars,” said Lt. Douglas Brenner, Oneonta Police Department. “They’ve even got the holograms.”

Since college began, Brenner and the OPD have collected over 50 fake IDs from underage drinkers, the majority of them SUNY Oneonta students, the majority of them female. “Word got around campus and they must have ordered them all at once,” he said. “But would you give your credit card information to someone who specializes in making fake IDs?”

In the past few weeks, Brenner and his officers have gotten pretty good at spotting someone who shouldn’t be there. “We do bar checks as part of our patrols, and when we see people who appear to be underage by their looks and mannerisms, we go up to them and say, ‘Show us your fake ID’,” he said. They might of been getting these high-quality fake IDs from Chief ID (here) for all we know.

Some of them cry. Others know the jig is up and hand over the card. “Nice to know there’s some honesty,” he said. “If they cooperate we take (the cards) away and kick them out,” he said.

All the Oneonta officers can do is ticket them for underage drinking. “These fakes skim the line of possessing a forged instrument,” he said. “They aren’t forged, they aren’t chalked or altered, they’re not using them to drive with or open bank accounts.”

However, the state Department of Motor Vehicles can also punish underage-drinking offenders with a suspension of 90 days under section 510(3)(a), which allows the DMV to revoke or suspend a license for any violation of vehicle or traffic law.

For $110, teens can get a Connecticut license with their real name, a fake address and an altered date of birth. “They use an address that’s familiar to them and their own birthday with just the year changed so they can recite it if asked,” said Brenner. “They’re usually from bordering states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania – but Connecticut comes with a free backup copy, so we’re seeing a deluge of those this year.”

But despite the flood of fakes, Brenner says he hasn’t seen one repeat offender. “Getting caught sucks,” he said. “You’re out $110, plus the $250 ticket, and you have to tell your parents. They’re not going to take that chance again.”