From the archives:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/latest-counterfeit-ids-are-so-good-theyre-dangerous/2011/07/12/gIQA55yAkI_story.html?utm_term=.007e29d78fb3
Pretty interesting stuff. Back when I got my first license, there were no pictures on them. It would have been easier to make a fake, although there were not yet computer printers and other desktop publishing items as there are today.
“What are the legal consequences of possessing a fake ID in Texas? Under Texas state law, a person under 21 who is in possession of a fake driver’s license with intent to misrepresent one’s age is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable up to a $500 fine.”
You may have saved the kid $500 by not turning it in to the police.
@3scoutmom I like to think I would have considered returning the wallet to the kid directly, not the mom, and kept the fake ID. You did the right thing.
Of course who knows when push comes to shove, I likely would have wimped out… DD just showed me a snap chat last week of two senior classmates, who had been suspended for several weeks this past fall for being inebriated at a school event, happily being poured and enjoying drinks at our local Applebee’s bar. I know the parents. I have not said anything. It is not the first time I have seen social media evidence of illegal behavior.
Possession of a fake ID is a misdemeanor in some states and a felony in others. What would some of the above posters do if it was a small amount of marijuana in the wallet? What if there was also a large amount of cash?
I would have just dropped off the wallet at the local police department. That is why I pay property taxes.
?? Maybe the mother wasn’t shocked about the fake ID but that a random person could breach the security of her gated community. ??
Good fake IDs cast about $500. IME when a bouncer or waitress sees an OOS state ID they require a manager to validate the ID. Even when I was with my children with my ID that matched the address of my children’s ID it required multiple manager checks.
“Good fake IDs cast about $500. IME when a bouncer or waitress sees an OOS state ID they require a manager to validate the ID. Even when I was with my children with my ID that matched the address of my children’s ID it required multiple manager checks.”
I don’t think either the cost of $500 or the multiple layers of ID scrutiny are the norm. It’s a lot cheaper and easier than this quote indicates. We travel a lot. My youngest looks young but is now 21. No one has ever questioned my kid’s IDs or has gotten a manager.
My sources ( 
)tell me that a good fake is under $200 in the Bay Area–and has a money back guarantee: if ID gets taken as fake by clubs, bars you get one free replacement. Ah, marketing at its finest…
I like the idea of giving it to a sheriff. What if he used the fake id to buy a gun and not just alcohol?
Montana is a state that hasn’t passed REAL ID laws. Therefore, the state DL may be easier to forge. When I moved to California it took them 13 weeks to get the new ID issued to me because it had 2 pictures (one normal, one B&W), some holographs, etc. Florida has the special gold star and other security features.
Still had one because I was 17. When I was going through the line to get my college ID, the clerk asked my birthdate, I took off a year, no problem. It wasn’t really fake, it was my ID, just had the wrong birth year on it. And I didn’t use it for music clubs, I used it to drink.
In Massachusetts a conviction for a fake ID also results in the suspension of one’s license.
My impulse would have been to return it without the fake ID just to give the kid a bit of a message. Pastor in me coming out I guess… not enabling another to sin.
Yes, most of you wouldn’t consider a fake ID or what he is most likely doing with it as sin but the vows I had to take at ordination are quite explicit. I could actually lose my credentials for any perceived violation.
I think the way you handled it was fine.
The other alternative would have been to simply hand it to her and let her decide whether to look inside. I think that drawing her attention to a fake ID in the case of a HS student was reasonable. If the boy had answered the door, I would have just handed it to him, but this way may have been better in that it gives his parent a chance to discuss the fake ID issue with him.
I can’t imagine turning it over to the police in hopes of getting him in legal trouble.
I never had a fake ID. The drinking age was 18 when I turned 18, and I wasn’t into going out to bars and clubs anyway. I never liked that scene. If there had been good music clubs, that might have been a temptation, but there weren’t.
I don’t want to be a pill about this, but where is mere possession of a fake ID a felony? And even if there is such a place, is anybody aware of anybody, ever, being convicted of a felony for mere possession of a fake ID? I don’t want to suggest that there can’t be significant consequences, but I think the risks should be accurately stated.
Added: OK, in Florida, it appears that possession of a fake driver’s license on state-issued ID card can be a third-degree felony. See http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/322.212. So check your state law. Note that this Florida law wouldn’t apply to a college ID, though.
My friend’s daughter was arrested for a fake ID in Connecticut where under state law, possession of a fake ID is a Class D felony charge, and equivalent to forgery in the second degree. It is punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine, according to police. The parents paid a lawyer dearly to make it go away.
New Jersey. If you don’t get a lawyer and get it reduced, yes, you will be convicted. As I said, I have experience with this and got very clear legal advice at the time. It’s a big money maker for the state.
MaterS, was your friend’s daughter actually charged with a felony? Of course, maybe it’s a profit center for defense lawyers.
State issued would be a big consideration. It is unlikely this fake ID from SC are issued from the state to a 17 year old in another stall.
I think the point of the Florida law is to keep people from having licenses from several states to avoid having multiple violations on one license. Truck drivers used to do that.
Let’s say you have an entirely fake ID that you use only to get into bars and clubs. What are the most likely things to happen, in order of likelihood?
Do you feel lucky? Well, do you?
I probably would have given it to the HS Principal instead of bringing it to the kid’s home. He/she would likely know if this kid was regularly in trouble, in which case the cops would be called, or if a stern lecture would have been sufficient.
I understand that a Principal might legally be required to contact the authorities if she/he had direct knowledge of a kid breaking the law, but practically, the Principal probably would understand that he/she doesn’t need to look through every item in the wallet before contacting the kid - but if it were a troublemaker kid, it might be prudent to do so. So, a “hypothetical” conversation with the Principal before turning it over would let him/her know I’d hope for discretion and the less work on the school’s end.
This is what I hoped happened.
I not believe that the ID was for music venues. We are just outside of Austin and most of the clubs allow underage kids into shows (even The Broken Spoke) they just get a different colored wrist band.
How would OP know what high school the kid attends? Could be a private instead of public.