Spotting Altered, Counterfeit and Borrowed ID
Key Takeaways
A genuine card borrowed from someone else is not acceptable ID for the customer.
ICBC has multiple card versions; compare the actual version with current official security examples.
A scannable barcode does not guarantee authenticity.
Return doubtful ID, refuse service or age-restricted entry as appropriate, and document the facts.
Spotting Altered and Fraudulent Identification
Note
Sophisticated digital printers, laser engravers, and online illicit vendors have made counterfeit identification cards increasingly accessible to minors. In British Columbia, hospitality staff must operate with professional vigilance, applying structured physical inspection methods rather than casual glances.
Under British Columbia's Liquor Control and Licensing Act, serving alcohol to a minor is an offence of strict liability. It is not a valid legal defence for a server or licensee to claim they were fooled by a fake ID if a reasonable, thorough inspection would have revealed obvious alterations, missing security features, or facial discrepancies. Furthermore, the LCRB conducts ongoing compliance audits through its Minors as Agents Program (MAP), employing underage youths under inspector supervision to test whether establishments rigorously verify identification. To safeguard public safety and liquor licences, staff should use a systematic inspection.
A Study Aid for Multiple Checks
The following Feel, Examine, Ask, Return/Refuse mnemonic is a study aid used here, not a provincially mandated protocol:
[ F ] FEEL ──▶ Assess thickness, rigidity, surface lamination, and tactile engraving
[ E ] EXAMINE ──▶ Inspect photos, ghost portraits, microprinting, UV inks, and DOB math
[ A ] ASK ──▶ Ask unexpected, contextual verification questions and compare signatures
[ R ] RETURN / REFUSE ──▶ Return ID; refuse liquor and any age-restricted entry
Step 1: Feel (Tactile Inspection)
Before looking closely at the printed text, service staff and door hosts should physically hold the card outside of wallets, plastic sleeves, or phone cases. Modern government credentials incorporate advanced physical manufacturing processes that counterfeiters struggle to replicate.
Check Features for the Particular Card Version
ICBC notes that more than one card version is in circulation. Its current security information describes polycarbonate design, raised laser etching of the name and miniature printing, among other features. Compare with the official examples for that version. Do not require the signature, birth date and licence number all to have the same raised texture on every card.
Look for unexplained peeling, bubbles, irregular edges or alteration around the photo or birth date. These are reasons for closer examination, not automatic proof. Handle the card carefully rather than aggressively bending or damaging a patron’s property.
Step 2: Examine (Visual Inspection)
Visual examination requires careful scrutiny under adequate lighting. Staff must look past the large numbers and evaluate fine optical security features.
| Inspection | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Photograph and any secondary portrait | Does it match the person and the appropriate card design? |
| Fine printing and security elements | Are they consistent with the issuer’s current examples? |
| Typeface and dates | Is there evidence of alteration or contradictory information? |
| Back of card | Are printing and features plausible, rather than an obvious copy? |
| Second credential | Does it corroborate the person’s identity? |
A scanned barcode does not prove authenticity. The regulator warns that counterfeit cards can be scannable. Use multiple checks and do not let a scanner replace comparison with the person or a careful date-of-birth check.
Calculating Date of Birth (DOB) Mathematics
Never glance merely at the birth year. Many minors alter the final digit of their birth year (such as scratching a 2008 into a 2003). Staff must verify the exact age mathematically:
- Current Date Calculation: Compare the printed date of birth against today's calendar date. Has the individual actually reached their 19th birthday as of today?
- Cross-check the details: Compare dates and information with the appropriate issuer’s card examples. Do not treat a different expiry month or an expired document as automatic proof of forgery.
Step 3: Ask (Verbal Verification Techniques)
When tactile and visual checks leave any doubt, strategic verbal questioning can provide additional information for uncovering borrowed cards ("pass-backs") or memorized counterfeits.
Tip
Hold the identification card comfortably in your hand, tilted downward away from the patron's line of sight. Never point to an address or birth date and ask, "Is this your address?" The patron will simply say yes.
Behaviour Can Prompt Questions, Not Prove Fraud
Observe behaviour in context. Anxiety, disability, language differences or frustration can also explain these reactions; none is proof of a false card:
- Nervousness: Excessive perspiration, trembling hands, shallow breathing, or voice cracking.
- Avoidance: Reluctance to make direct eye contact, scanning the exit, or looking nervously back toward companions in the queue.
- Overcompensation: Unsolicited aggression ("Why are you harassing me? I come here every week!") or overly friendly, rapid chatter intended to distract the server.
Strategic Contextual Questions
Ask relevant, non-threatening questions about details on the card and compare the responses. Memorized answers do not prove authenticity, and hesitation alone does not prove fraud:
- "What is your postal code?": Compare the response with the printed address if a postal code is present.
- Ask about identifying details printed on the card without assuming everyone knows an astrological sign.
- "What year did you graduate from high school?": Education histories differ; hesitation is not by itself proof that an ID is false.
- "What is your middle name, and how do you spell it?": Use a printed identifying detail rather than a question based on assumptions about schooling or personal background.
The Scrap Paper Signature Comparison Test
If doubt remains, provide the patron with a notepad and pen. Politely say: "Could you sign your name so I can compare it with the identification?"
- Compare the handwriting with a signature on either credential, if present. Primary ID does not require a signature, so its absence is not a defect.
- Compare relevant signature features, while recognizing that disability, injury or anxiety can affect handwriting. This is supporting evidence rather than a forensic conclusion.
Step 4: Return or Refuse (Legal Rights and Property Seizure Rules)
When an identification credential fails verification, staff must execute the final step of the protocol with absolute professional composure.
The official course instructs staff to return questionable ID and refuse service. Holding a card for inspection does not give a worker a general power to confiscate it. Do not damage the card, demand a payment to return it or start a physical struggle.
Explain the decision calmly: “I cannot accept this identification for liquor service.” Refuse age-restricted entry where the authorization requires it, while recognizing that a food-primary diner may lawfully remain without drinking. Keep the discussion neutral rather than accusing the person publicly.
Record the concern, staff involved and action taken. Tell relevant colleagues so the patron cannot obtain service from another employee who does not know about the refusal. Avoid copying unnecessary sensitive information. If a card is abandoned, preserve it through the manager’s lost-property or police-contact procedure rather than destroying it or using it yourself.
A borrowed genuine card can pass printing and scanning checks. A counterfeit can contain memorized details. Combine document features, the photograph, secondary identification, age calculation and appropriate questions. If authenticity or age remains doubtful, refuse liquor and return the ID; a customer’s insistence does not resolve the uncertainty.
Sources checked October 9, 2026
Official SIR manual, pages 24–27 and Appendix D; ICBC card security.
A card scans successfully. What should staff conclude?
The scan guarantees age 19
The patron is automatically verified
The second piece is unnecessary
Further identity and authenticity checks are still needed
Which action is appropriate when authenticity remains doubtful?
Refuse service, return the card and record the concern
Detain the patron in a back room
Demand a cash penalty
Cut the card in half
Why should card-version examples be available?
Foreign cards are always unacceptable
Expiry dates alone prove authenticity
Legitimate designs and security features vary
All cards have identical raised fields
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.