Popular culture would have young people believe that procuring and using a fake ID is a harmless right of passage. However, the consequences of being convicted of fake ID charges are not anything to be taken lightly. The consequences of fake ID charges vary from state to state. But whether you are tempted to use a fake ID in Colorado, on spring break in Florida or while visiting friends and relatives anywhere else in the country, you should probably think twice as the consequences can be severe no matter where you use a fake ID.
In some states, using a fake ID can lead local authorities to charge you with fraud. This charge can be connected to whatever you attempt to do with your fake ID including purchasing alcohol, renting a hotel room or sneaking into a 21-and-over club.
You can also be charged with a felony, simply for possessing a fake ID. In sunny Florida, where many high school and college students use fake IDs while on spring break, possession of a fake ID and using a fake ID are acts that can be prosecuted as third-degree felonies.
In addition to being convicted of fraud, being convicted of felony charges and even having your real license revoked, fake ID charges can lead to a permanent criminal record. Minors can often have their fake ID charges expunged but adults can be weighed down with the consequences of a criminal record for life. If you want to avoid impediments to employment, school admission, housing and other necessities of life, please think twice before using a fake ID.
Source: Findlaw Blotter, “Using a Fake ID? 5 Potential Legal Consequences,” Betty Wang, Dec. 16, 2013