New App Will Help Alcohol Sellers Spot Fake IDs

A new app will help anyone selling alcohol take the guesswork out of spotting a fake ID.

I spent over 6 years working nights in a convenience store, and 'carding' people for alcohol was my least favorite part of the job. There are certain things you're trained to look for on those ID's, to try and spot a fake, but it's not easy. And it's constantly stressful because, if you make a mistake and sell to the wrong person, it could mean a fine from law enforcement, and losing your job, plus big trouble for the business.

So the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages is helping make the process easier by sponsoring a program that will give the Age ID app to 150 alcohol retailers free for one year. The app will identify fake ID's through the scanning of the bar code on the back of licenses and ID cards. The information obtained will be checked against a national database of state licenses and ID's and will instantly determine whether the person is over 21 and if the ID is real.

Intellicheck says the app is 99.9% accurate and is normally available through a monthly subscription, costing as much as a few hundred dollars a year. Maine's Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages is offering the program free for a year for some retailers, but will require it for others who have had issues in the past with selling liquor to minors.

Businesses can still sign up for the program by contacting MaineSpirits@maine.gov.