3,400 fake IDs caught during six-month downtown Charleston pilot program

Charleston, S.C. (WCBD)- The City of Charleston has announced a permanent ID verification program with Intellicheck, Inc., following a six-month pilot program at 30 late-night establishments downtown.

The 6-month pilot program allowed bars and restaurants to monitor underage drinking using Intellicheck’s ID verification tool, which officials say they hope will increase safety on King Street. 

According to city officials, the app-based technology was used to scan more than 100,000 IDs over the past six months, about 3,400 of which were found to be fake or invalid. Those IDs were then stopped and confiscated by officials. 

“High-tech fake IDs are readily and inexpensively available to young people on the web,” Intellicheck CEO Bryan Lewis said. “Unfortunately, young people don’t recognize the dangerous situation they create for themselves and others when they use those sophisticated fake IDs to access alcohol and other age-restricted products. This is only the beginning as we look forward to working with businesses throughout the city of Charleston.”

The technology, which is currently used by the Charleston Police Department and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, boasts 99% accuracy in authenticating IDs in under one second. 

Captain of Patrol with the Charleston Police Department, Jason Bruder, says he “hopes and encourages people to pick up on this technology to help them make sure that they are protecting their businesses from all of the technologies out there that create the fake IDs.”

Charleston businesses interested in using Intellicheck technology can create an account here.