Scandit Study Finds Nearly Half of U.S. Young Adults Know Someone Who Has Committed Fake ID Fraud

Zurich, Switzerland – July 31, 2024 – Scandit, the leader in smart data capture, released a new report today that examines the sentiments and prevalence of fake ID use among young adults aged 18-25 in the U.S. Nearly half (45%) of respondents reported knowing someone who successfully used a fake ID to gain access to age-restricted products or venues, reflecting the challenges and complexities facing businesses when it comes to ID verification.

Scandit’s survey, which encompassed over 2,000 respondents across all 50 states, also found that 71% of respondents said it was either ‘very easy’ or ‘somewhat easy’ to acquire a fake ID and over 30% admitted to considering or buying a fake ID themselves. This issue is exacerbated in places with stricter regulations and a higher population of college students, with New England landing as the region with the highest percentage of under-21s considering fake IDs (45%) and the highest rate of successful fake ID use at 59% across the age range surveyed.

“The widespread use of fake IDs presents a significant financial, compliance and reputational challenge for many businesses across the U.S., underscoring the need for greater vigilance and ensuring employees are better trained on and equipped for ID verification,” said Samuel Mueller, CEO of Scandit. “Current validation methods are ineffective, and fake IDs not only endanger the health and safety of minors, but impact businesses through regulatory fines, lost sales from liquor license suspensions, and more. In addition to minimizing risk and boosting operational efficiency, investing in effective ID verification technology can also open up new revenue opportunities by providing the reassurance to sell age-restricted products in more locations.”

Common uses of fake IDs

Fake IDs are used across a wide range of businesses but have been accepted the most at bars/nightclubs (75%), liquor stores (56%), restaurants (30%), alcohol delivery (20%), cannabis dispensaries (19%) and pharmacy/drug stores (10%). Fake ID usage creates a unique challenge for alcohol delivery services, as completing the picking and delivery process can result in wasted resources and unusable inventory if the customer fails manual ID checks upon delivery – leading to operational inefficiency and additional delivery costs. Some quick commerce businesses even limit alcohol delivery to certain states due to the high level of regulatory risk, but those using robust ID verification tools like Scandit’s ID Validate have the opportunity to confidently expand to more states by eliminating concerns about fake IDs and underage deliveries.

The survey also revealed that the majority of people (51%) believe ID scanning technology would be more effective at catching fake IDs, compared to only 13% who trust only manual checks. By verifying IDs at the point of order and shifting the responsibility of ID verification from individuals to technology, it minimizes human error and creates a more efficient and confident workforce that businesses can rely on to remain compliant.

Check out the full report here

About the research

Scandit commissioned Dynata for a survey that explores consumer sentiment and prevalence of fake ID use in the U.S. Conducted in May 2024, the research captures the voices of over 2,000 U.S. consumers aged 18-25.

About Scandit

Scandit is the leader in smart data capture giving superpowers to workers, customers and businesses by providing actionable insights and automating end-to-end processes. Our Smart Data Capture platform enables smart devices, such as smartphones, handheld computers, drones, digital eyewear, robots and fixed cameras to interact with physical items by capturing data from barcodes, text, IDs and objects with unmatched speed, accuracy and intelligence.

Speed up scanning workflows by 5x on any smart device. Scan accurately in any challenging lighting, at angles, damaged labels or across multiple codes. We enable innovation that delivers significant cost savings, increases employee retention and customer loyalty. Scandit partners with customers at every step with trials, solution design, integration and customer success support included.

Visit scandit.com to learn why market leaders across retail, transport and logistics, healthcare and manufacturing like Instacart, Levi Strauss & Co., Sephora, Lufthansa and FedEx trust us.