Fake IDs common on campus

*Names of the students in this story have been changed. The author spent four weeks interviewing friends, family members, fellow students, and their parents. Many of their stories appear in this article.*

There is snow on the ground at a park in Chester, Pa., and Ellen*, a 21-year-old marketing major at Saint Joseph's University, is falling asleep as she bends over to pick up an empty bag of Homegirls potato chips. Even though she had been out drinking until 5 a.m., she had to be at the park at 8 a.m.

In November 2007, three days before turning 21, Ellen was arrested in Wayne, Pa., for possessing a fake driver's license. A police officer pulled her over while she was on her way to work because the registration sticker on her license plate was expired. When Ellen attempted to give the police officer her driver's license, he spotted her fake ID card underneath the real one.

Ellen went to court and was fined $230, ordered to do 32 hours of community service, and told to attend 12 hours of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Ellen is bitter about the experience, mostly because she got caught.

"I, like every other college student I know, owns a fake, but I happened to be the only one that got caught," Ellen said.

There are no official statistics on how many college students have fake ID cards, but most Saint Joseph's students say they do. Many students have fabricated fake ID cards, or real ones passed on from older siblings or friends.

Many of the students at St. Joe's say they need fake ID cards because of the limited social options at night other than going out to the bars.

"Getting a fake ID was definitely worth it," said Megan, a senior English major. "I was able to go out and do whatever I wanted, and it was even more worth it once St. Joe's started shutting down all the off-campus parties even though our options were limited to begin with."

Not everyone who has a fake ID card uses it to buy or drink alcohol. Before she turned 21, Anna, a senior marketing major, used her card simply to get into bars to hang out with her friends.

"Living in Philadelphia and going to St. Joe's makes it tempting to go to the cool bars in Old City and Manayunk, and my ID allowed me to experience this two years sooner than I should have," Anna said.

Students acquire their fake ID cards in various ways. Some purchase them from students on campus who make them, make their own or get them from various connections.

"I had a couple of fake IDs," said Megan. "The first one I got as a graduation present from one of my older friends. The second one I got from a kid that lived on the first floor of McShain. The third one I got from a friend at home who made them."

Katie, a senior marketing major, paid $15 for her card. That's comparatively inexpensive, since many students say that they usually pay between $80 and $150. Katie bought hers from a fellow St. Joe's student who did not need it anymore because she was upgrading to a better fake ID.

"It started to peel on the sides and I had to use my hair straightener to flatten the sides before I would go out," Katie said.

Some students rely on family members for their IDs, especially if their older siblings look similar to them. Others take advantage of older friends whom they physically resemble.

Many students say that ID cards from family members work best, because they are familiar with street addresses, birthdays, and other information bouncers test them on as they try to enter bars. Typically, these cards are also real driver's licenses, and will pass the scanners that determine their validity.

"My third [ID] was free and was from my older sister who finally turned 21," said Laura, a senior business major. "The one my sister gave me was great and I was never refused once."

Some students said they traveled as far as New York City to get fake ID cards that they hoped would scan and work anywhere. Students from Connecticut or New Jersey said it was common knowledge in their hometowns that New York City had plenty of places to get fake ID cards.

"It was well-known that every tattoo parlor had a shop in the back to make fake IDs," said Laura, who bought two of her fake IDs in New York City.

Two other St. Joe's students each traveled to New York City for fake ID cards, only to be scammed.

Karen, a senior English major, was in Manhattan looking for a men's clothing store that she had heard sold fake IDs. She was approached by a young man who asked her if she and her friend needed fake ID cards.

"Being na've, we went with him and told him about the store," she said. "He told us that he worked there and took us to a random clothing store."

The man knew what Karen was looking for and played along, asking for her name and the state that she wanted designated on her ID.

Unconcerned for her safety, Karen and her companion followed the man to the store, eager to complete her mission.

"While walking he asked us for $80 dollars each," said Karen. "We gave it to him. Then he told us he was going to go back to the store to check, and we should wait down the street on a bench. He never came back. When we went to the store, the cashier told us he had never seen the man before."

Stephanie, a senior pharmaceutical marketing major, fell into a similar trap, following a man who said he could get her a fake ID.

"He took us to this place where he said we had to give him the money before we saw the ID," said Stephanie. "We were hesitant, but desperate for an ID, so we did it."

The man then told Stephanie that she and a male friend who was with her would have to wait for him at a McDonald's until the ID was ready.

"While we were all at the McDonalds, he said he needed to step outside for a second," she said. "We waited for 40 minutes and he never came back."

Stephanie, unlike Karen, found the real ID distributor shop later that day. When Stephanie told the fake ID distributors about the scam, they reacted in anger. They told her that these scams were becoming common and it was causing them to lose business.

Fake IDs do not come cheap. Students have paid as much as $200 for a card. Others accumulate cost because they buy cheap fake IDs that end up not working or are confiscated.

After losing $80 in New York City, Karen spent another $60 on a fake ID that her friend from home made her. When that ID fell apart, she spent $75 on a fake ID from her roommate's friend. Two-hundred fifteen dollars in total.

Many students, though, say no price is too high for what the ID offers.

"You can't spend too much for the fun it brings," said Anna. "I tell every student coming into college to get one because it is so worth it. I tell them to take the amount they paid for the ID and divide it by how many months they would use it until they were 21. It comes out to about a couple of dollars for your ID, which lasts about two to three years. I had mine for two and a half years and spent $205 for two IDs. It was only $11.38 a month."

Students discover that there are other hidden costs involved in owning a fake ID card, since bouncers at bars have the power to grant the students access to their favorite spots. Bouncers will often take bribes in order to allow underage patrons into bars. Other times they will take away the fake ID and wait for the panicked student to buy it back from them.

"I went to Adelphia's and they took my ID away," said Diane, a senior pharmaceutical marketing major, referring to a club in Deptford, N.J. "It was so embarrassing, and I had to buy my ID back for $50."

Chris, a 23-year-old engineering student at Temple University, is an ex-bouncer at a bar that was closed for underage citations. He knew just how badly students wanted to get into the bar, and said he decided to make a little money at their expense.

"Kids show up with fake IDs and try their luck," Chris said. "If someone comes to me with a fake ID, I tell them it's fake and then say 'if you want in, it'll cost you'."

Chris made between $40 and $100 on a given underage student trying to get into the bar.

"I made the mistake of telling a [bouncer] once that I was 20 and not to tell anyone," said Diane. "He blackmailed me to kiss him."

Katie recollected a date party at a bar she once attended. She remembered that several students, who were not 21 either, got into the bar even though she got denied. She went to a friend's house nearby to hang out for a bit then tried the bar again later that night. This time she removed her jacket to reveal her dressy outfit and got in without a problem.

According to the Student Handbook, it is against University policy for students to use fake IDs, let alone to consume alcohol when they are underage.

"No student or employee of the University shall attempt or carry out the transfer of any form of identification for the purpose of falsifying age in order to secure alcohol," the Handbook states.

"Being underage and having a fake ID is against the law," said Cary Anderson, vice president for Student Life.

According to Pennsylvania law, a person caught with a fake ID can face tough consequences, such as jail time of up to one year, fines up to $500, and license suspension from 90 days to two years.

The university keeps track of students who are caught with fake IDs. In the fall 2007 semester, nine students were caught, according to Nancy Komada, senior community standards officer.

"If we find a student with a fake ID, we don't turn them over to the police," said Anderson. "We do it ourselves. We confiscate the ID and then it usually leads to an internal hearing, where the consequences are decided."

Once the police get involved, the consequences are much more serious.

At the University of Scranton, where Nicole was visiting a friend, a campus security guard who confiscated Nicole's fake ID card turned into over to police.

Ultimately, Nicole had to get a lawyer, go to court, and do community service.

Nicole's mother said she was fearful of the consequences for her daughter, so she hired a lawyer. She was afraid for her daughter's future after graduation since her daughter was over the age of 18 and would be charged as an adult, she said.

Ellen, who also got caught, decided against getting a lawyer.

"I never told my parents, and until this day they do not know that I had to go do all that," said Ellen. "They both knew I had a fake ID. I didn't want them to say 'I told you so.'"

Nicole's mother, who knew of her daughter's trouble, said she was sympathetic.

"When I was 18, the drinking age was 18," said Nicole's mom. "Absolutely I would have gotten a fake ID too. I used to hide in bushes and throw tomatoes at cop cars. I did a whole lot of things wrong back in my day."

"I don't think what she did was uncommon," Nicole's mom added. "What [she] did was a bad thing, but she isn't a bad child. I didn't choose to punish her because in many respects it was punishment enough going to court and doing the community service."

Megan's parents, like Nicole's, understood why she has a fake ID.

Megan said her dad found her ID amusing.

"My dad thought it was hysterical that I had a fake ID," said Megan. "He let me use it with him whenever we went out. He would say the drinking age was 18 when he was in college and now I was in college so I just had to use it responsibly."

Despite their run-ins with the law and the consequences that came from getting caught, both Ellen and Nicole said their IDs were worth the trouble.

"After all I went through, it was still worth it because I wouldn't have met the people I met," Ellen said. "It enabled me to socialize and bond with my classmates. I'd be bored and regret my college experience without it. It's a necessity."