Fraudulent IDs are showing up at more businesses than ever before. An article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune highlighted a sharp rise in compliance violations for alcohol and tobacco sales in the area as officials see more businesses fail compliance checks. Businesses selling these products to underage buyers are subject to fines and license suspensions, with stricter penalties for repeat lapses, which no business owner wants.
At Veridocs, we know the challenges and risks business owners face when it comes to ID checks. That’s why one quote from the article caught our eye: “spotting an underage ID has never been easier.” With our expertise in identity solutions, we say that the exact opposite is true in today’s business climate.
Spotting Underage IDs Has Never Been More Challenging
Relying on your staff to make sure every ID is authentic doesn’t provide a safety net for human error or a particularly sophisticated fraud. At its best, manually checking IDs requires extensive time, training, and knowledge to recognize red flags. Even a well-trained professional could get fatigued or fooled and make a costly mistake.
A business owner quoted in the article said, “It seemed like we were stuck in an endless cycle of hiring, training and then losing employees to other opportunities, sometimes within a matter of days.” Unemployment rates remain low, and employers are constantly looking for qualified workers to fill roles. High turnover and staffing shortages have made it difficult to keep up with employee training. Expecting your new hires to be the singular, perfect safeguard against fraudulent IDs isn’t good for anyone.
Complications can also arise when your business welcomes customers from out of state. There are hundreds of ID variations from state to state, and the designs change frequently. An employee who is behind on training may think an unfamiliar ID is simply an updated design when in reality it’s a fraudulent document. And with fraudulent IDs getting increasingly sophisticated, even the best-trained employees cannot stay up to date on nuances in identification documents from all 50 states, numbering over 600 active IDs.
Increasing Challenges, Higher Stakes
Regulators are ratcheting up their scrutiny of age-restricted retail. Nevada recently raised its minimum tobacco age limit to 21 with fines and civil penalties for violations. As cannabis legalization is either established or on the docket for a majority of states, regulators and retailers have a whole new industry with age enforcement needs. Government officials may impose increased penalties for underage sales as part of their goal to regulate these markets effectively.
We’re proud to help our customers from establishments like casinos and retailers avoid fines and keep their operations running smoothly. They know that fake IDs are harder than ever to spot without the proper technology. That’s why they rely on Veridocs to be certain they’re not allowing underage people through their doors.
