Producing and using fake IDs or documents with false identification is considered harmless but may have been going on for a long time. People resort to this to experience benefits that they cannot get as underaged individuals. Individuals need to be more than 18 years old to do many things, like getting in nightclubs, purchasing and drinking alcohol, buying cigarettes, booking a flight, or renting a place to stay. At present, online applications and software make photo editing easy, and printing with high-quality materials is available, thus producing a fake ID is simple. Organizations also have ID printers for their members. People can already get away with their fake IDs, although this is a grave offense in the law.
Any identification document that is modified or tampered with to create a fake identity of an individual is considered a fake id. Producing a fake ID can be placing your photo on a legit ID and printing it to make it seem authentic and yours. It is still illegal since it is not government-issued. It is also a fake ID violation when the ID is legit but does not belong to the cardholder but he uses it for his benefit.
Nowadays, aside from office IDs, passports, birth certificates, and diplomas, vaccination cards are one of the requirements when travelling or entering establishments. Non-vaccinated individuals who want to travel or go to malls or other recreational areas have no choice but to either have themselves vaccinated or use the vaccination card of other people. It is a risky move. Once they get caught, grave penalties await them. There is a fine to pay. In worst cases, the person must serve jail time.
Identity theft through the use of fake id is a grave offense and people must avoid it as much as possible even if the situation calls for it. Fake ID laws comprise the production, vending, buying, using, and having fake IDs. Even if you did not use it but are caught with it, you can be charged simply by having or possessing it.
Some laws penalize individuals who use authentic identification cards but do not belong to them. It is still under false identification law. It could be a lesser kind of crime, but a crime nonetheless. It depends on the state if the charge for this crime is lower compared to other false identification crimes.
A disadvantage of using fake IDs is the consequence of being charged for more than one crime. For example, a youngster used a fake ID to enter a club and to purchase alcohol. Not only will he be penalized for the use of fake ID, but for drinking the alcoholic beverage as well. Alcohol consumption is unlawful to do for his age. So that is one penalty for the false identity crime and another for the illegal activity. Moreover, due to the establishment’s lapses, they could also be charged for an offense.
The penalties for possessing, using, buying, selling, or producing fake Ids vary. The use of a fake ID is under misdemeanor offense. Using a fake ID for a driver’s license or buying firearms could mean more capital charges. It is already a felony in that sense. The possible punishment for such offenses is jail time. The length of jail time depends on the gravity of the offense. For misdemeanor offenses, the jail time could be as long as a year or as short as 90 days. For felony offenses, it could go as long as 10 years. The offender is also required to pay specific fines. The amount to pay depends on the gravity of the offense and the frequency of doing the offense. A first-timer’s fine is a minimum of 1,000 dollars. For a misdemeanor offense, the fines could be lesser, like 500 dollars or lesser. Felony is another story, and the offender must pay 100 thousand dollars or more. Probation is also possible for these kinds of offenses. Probation lasts for a year or more and the offender must comply with the required conditions to be acquitted. If the offender fails to comply with the conditions, he will serve jail time.
What Are the Laws Regarding Fake IDs in Texas?
In Texas, possessing a fake ID is a crime under their law and is associated with grave penalties. Fake ID violations include buying a fake ID through the online market, a popular trend among college-level students. Fake identification also included falsification of documents, tampering with details like birthday, or other details on a document. Using a real ID that does not belong to you is also a Fake ID violation.
According to Texas law, scenarios that could qualify as Fake Id violation or false identification includes the following:
owning a modified Identification document; borrowing or letting somebody borrow your identification document, and giving incorrect or made-up data or documents for ID application or renewal. These violations are classified as misdemeanors and offenders are charged with jail-time of 12 months and a 4,000 dollars penalty.
If a person uses a fake ID to claim that he is of legal age but the truth is, they are minors, this is a misdemeanor but a lower one. It is under class C, and the fine could only be 500 dollars or less.
Owning any form of the fake Identification document forged from a real official ID (unless they have “not a government document” printed in them) is still a misdemeanor under class C, and the charge will only be 500 dollars or less.
Altering a legal government is considered a felony. This includes tampering with a government record, giving a forged document, deliberately destroying the readability of a document, illegally owning or vending official government documents, and producing or utilizing false documents. This is the gravest fake ID violation and charges include up to ten years of jail time and a penalty of 10,000 dollars.
Aside from these charges, college students guilty of fake ID violations can be expelled from school and banned from different establishments. They will be blacklisted.
People assume that using fake IDs is harmless and okay, but it is not worth the risk.
