For a 20-year-old student in the College of Management, he said he has a fake ID so he can join his friends.
“I use mine in downtown Raleigh to go out with friends. It’s definitely all because I like to go out with everyone,” the 20-year-old student said.
There are different ways students can obtain fake IDs. The 20-year-old student obtained his from a brother in his fraternity.
“It’s just something I got because I have a lot of older friends,” a 20-year-old student in the College of Management, who wished to remain anonymous for legal reasons, said.
The copy costs fifteen dollars and is a valid state driver’s license, making it harder for officials to spot it as a fake.
“I got my ID from an older brother in the fraternity. It was a really simple process,” the student said.
Despite the risks, underage students are still taking chances with the use of fake ID’s. Underage college students are using fake IDs to get into bars and clubs as well as to purchase alcohol at stores.
The consequences of getting caught with a fake ID are serious. Violators can be charged with a class one misdemeanor. This can result in a sentence of up to 100 hours of community service or up to a $1,000 fine. The person in question’s license will be revoked and the fake ID will be submitted to the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.
The purchase of fake identification is more for social reasons than anything else, according to both students. Wanting to go out with older friends was the deciding factor in whether or not to purchase an ID.
All of these consequences occur only for violators without criminal records. Punishment becomes more severe if the offender already has charges on their record.
Those who lend or sell their IDs can also be charged with a class one misdemeanor. Manufacturing a fake driver’s license or learner’s permit for sale as fake identification is a class one felony in North Carolina.
“Through interaction, such as license checks on campus, we have been made aware of student possession [of fake I.D’s] on campus,” Barnwell said.
Local businesses follow strict procedures to avoid underage patrons from frequenting their venues. Security guards at clubs and bars are trained to spot fake identification cards as part of their job. If they recognize a fake ID, they turn it over DMV and users are almost always charged for possession.
“The most affected places are supermarkets, convenience stores and ABC stores. Local law enforcement tries to constantly pay attention to those areas,” Barnwell said.
If a student is charged for using a fake ID, the University is likely to get involved. The use of fake identification violates section 14 in the Student Code of Conduct, which prohibits the misrepresentation of oneself on any legal document, including photo ID’s.
“Providing false information in any way is a policy violation that we would have to deal with on a case-by-case basis,” Turi Plisch, associate director for the Office of Student Conduct, said.
The process of getting a fake ID has gotten less complex over time. Many underage people are simply getting a friend who looks similar to them to order an extra copy of their driver’s license from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Some people are still sticking to the method of ordering their fake ID from a specialist. There are various companies who mass-produce such products by saying that their company makes novelty IDs.
“You get a piece of paper in the mail with instructions about what to do. You have to send in your money, which varies. Mine was $150.00. Then you have to send in a picture of yourself with a completely white background. He said his company was making joke IDs so that he could get away with it,” a 19-year-old student in the College of Management, who wanted to remain anonymous for legal reasons, said.
Ordering a fake ID over the Internet poses the risk of not getting what you pay for, according to the student.
“You have to sign a liability form, which I felt weird about. But I felt better because I had a friend who was doing it with me,” the student said.
Although aware of these risks, underage students are taking the chance in order to go out with their older friends and to purchase alcohol.
“I know you can get in a lot of trouble, but that’s just a risk I take,” the 20-year-old student said.
“It is present on our campus just as any other. It’s an issue that any campus of this size would have,” Jon Barnwell, patrol division commander with Campus Police, said.
