I’ll violate the sacred trust between bouncers on this one. It’s pretty common knowledge which states are being faked. All the vendors sell pretty much the same products, so that’s a huge tell. Here is a partial list of what one of the many vendors out there sells:
So whenever I see a younger patron with a RI, CT, NJ, ME, IL, NY, PA, FL, OH, MO, DE, CA or SC (and others) ID, I am already skeptical. Knowing this, it doesn't take much for a guard to familiarize themself with what security features the real ID has. Quality is the biggest tell. Sometimes it’s the poor quality of the UV features like here:
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Other times it’s the quality of the microprinting like here (Top real, bottom fake):
And sometimes the counterfeiters just don’t have access to the correct feature like the hologram on the old Connecticut license here (left is real, right is fake):
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Yes, bouncers also ask questions that kids shockingly can’t answer… like what their address or birthdate is. Sometimes we ask questions about the city your ID says you are from. Believe it or not, some of us are well traveled so if you don’t know the basics of where your ID is from, you make it easy for us. In the end, I have seen quality fakes but armed with a loupe, a UV light and a desire to catch you, I’ve yet to encounter an ID that wasn’t flawed in one way or another. If I was using a fake ID, I would look for places that have a reputation of serving minors where the bouncers don’t have any of the tools I mentioned previously. If you are ever in New England, maybe I’ll have the honor of confiscating yours!
