VT: Burlington liquor stores see spike in fake IDs

Employees see unusually high number so far this year

WPTZ

By Keele Smith

September 9, 2015

“This time of year we just get ready for the fake IDs. I feel like it’s an unusually high number this year,” Pearl Street Beverage Manager John Dubie said.

Since college kids started returning, Dubie said employees have already collected dozens of fake id’s.

“Over 30, could be up to 50. We catch them every day,” Dubie said.

Connecticut fakes are turning up a lot this year, which Dubie compares with real ones shown in a book.

He says it looks like someone is making them in batches, with many bearing the same flaws.

“The laminate doesn’t look right, sometimes the picture looks Photoshopped, if the issue date says that it was issued a couple of years ago and the ID looks brand new, that’s a red flag,” Dubie said.

According to the Vermont Department of Liquor Control, a store clerk cannot legally take a fake ID from someone, but law enforcement can.

“We call the police to let them know that we think the ID is fake and they abandon it,” Dubie said. “At that point they just leave it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone come back with a cop and get it.”

Dubie says after seeing so many real ID’s it’s easy to pick up on the fakes, which his staff will continue to do.

“Just wait until your 21. It’s not that big of a deal you can wait,” Dubie said.

Vermont Department of Liquor Control officials say if caught using a fake ID, underage drinkers can face criminal charges, up to a $1,000 charge and a suspended license for 60 days.