With a bass blaring loudly, multi-colored flashing lights to the beat, and vibrations from the rhythm of the music, it’s time to prematurely take a step forward in line towards the entrance of adulthood. Tightly clutching onto a shiny piece of plastic in anticipation, but still eager to undertake the glamorized festivities that allows complete access to booze and bars. With a full name, phone number, shipping address and a one-hundred-fifty-dollar transaction, it was possible to obtain the golden ticket of maturity.

Congratulations, you have officially turned from 16 to 21 overnight.

Fake IDs are a well known trend for Staples students and are used for more than buying alcohol.

An anonymous Staples alumni decided to purchase a fake ID during her freshmen year of high school. She used a passport picture taken at CVS and purchased it with her brand new vanilla Visa gift card. She bought it from a China-based company, whose site claims to produce “high quality fake IDs at a reasonable price.”

“I got a fake ID not to buy alcohol in liquor stores, but to go to bars and clubs,” the anonymous source said. “While SoNo is an extremely popular area for nightlife around here, the majority of my ID use is towards bars in SoNo and Fairfield, as well as at clubs and bars in New York City.”

She has had five fake IDs since freshman year to keep her age believable, as it would be unrealistic to be 25 by the time she graduated high school. However, she does admit that she doesn’t have to use it all the time since many local liquor stores don’t ask for identification.

Nicolaas Esposito ‘15 does not have this problem, as he physically appears to be older than most teenagers and believes fake IDs are not necessary. “I think fakes are a waste of money because if you’re going somewhere that’s sketchy enough to accept a crappy fake, you probably wouldn’t need one at all,” Esposito said. “The only real reason I see for having a fake is if you want to go to a bar or club.”

According to a recent New York Times article, Bill Rivera the chief of the International Mail Branch at Kennedy International Airport, the amount of fake IDs imported from China has swelled in recent years.

From October 2013 to September 2014, 4,585 Chinese-made counterfeit IDs were intercepted by students who were headed to college.

In hopes of decreasing the use of identity fraud, a local wines and spirits store utilizes a machine that scans IDs and matches the name of the found in the system. However, with a new generation of fake IDs, many can be sophisticated enough to fool scanning devices and law enforcement.

An anonymous junior at Staples claims his reasoning for purchasing a fake ID from China was for the practicality of making illicit activities much easier. As a result of mastering the techniques of encountering a liquor store clerk, he has never gotten his ID confiscated or consequently punished.

“I think the thing with fake IDs is when they see young-looking people trying to make as little contact as possible, they become suspicious,” the anonymous junior said. “So I’ve found just to be as friendly as possible”

Another local liquor store clerk, who requested to remain anonymous, claims to have caught someone trying to purchase alcohol with a fake ID about four times a year.

“The kids are usually nervous or try to distract you with questions. Most of them look like they’ve never walked into a liquor store in their life.”

The store clerk noticed that during college breaks and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. are the most popular times underage kids attempt to buy alcohol. If his suspicion is aroused, he also looks at the quality of the ID by googling will Google the ID license designs of the states to be sure   the ID is legitimate.

“They always have a story,” he laughed, referring to the explanations kids give when caught with fake IDs. “The most recent one I heard was last month. The guy said ‘I had to get an out-of-state license because I had to register a motorcycle.’”

When the liquor store clerk becomes suspicious of IDs that appear to be fake, he also asks the customer  to show another form of identification, such as a credit card or library card.

“To be compliant to your fraud, there has to be consequences,” the store clerk said. “Kids should be punished more severely. The drinking age should be extended one more year each time a person gets caught, or at least they should be fined.”

Apart from the obvious fear of losing $150 after confiscation of a fake ID, there are other consequences for getting caught.. Some consequences may include license suspension and possible jail time.

Regardless of the consequences, still many are willing to gamble with the risks of having a fake ID.

“It’s just something that won’t go away. Obviously adults know and I’m sure the police do, too. If they were to try to shut down fake IDs, kids would still find ways to get booze, or whatever,” Jack Marsilio ’15 said. “The issue is kids don’t see the severity in the crime seeing as it can be interpreted as a federal crime of identity theft.”