A group of seven girls walked up. Garcia checked each of their IDs and flashed it under the black light without missing a dance step. Mullen stayed against the wall with his friend and let Garcia handle the beginnings of what would be a full crowd.

The bouncers are checking for fake IDs, which can be costly to establishments accepting them. Garcia said the market for fake IDs online, through friends and from local dealers is big. Web sites such as The ID Shop and fakeidsquick.com offer fake novelty IDs the Web sites say can be passed for real IDs.

Tali Tigilau, a bouncer at Downtown Johnny’s, studies Western junior Greg Kubitz’s driver’s license on July 9. Kubitz was eventually turned away because his license expired that day and would be void at midnight. Tigilau said he checks thevv color of the eyes and height when checking to make sure the ID is valid. He also keeps a book on hand that has examples of out of state IDs. Photo by Kathryn Bachen

The Web site even provides a 24-hour customer service hotline if any problems arise.

Calls placed to the hotline were answered by a recording stating their business hours were Monday though Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

No one answered, even when repeated calls were made during those hours.

Zagorova cautions against using services such as The ID Shop. She said she has had friends that received a piece of cardboard with a photo looking nothing like them from different Web sites.

"I’ve never heard a success story about them," she said. "In the end, who can you complain to when you tried to buy something illegal online, and it didn’t work out?"

Bar and club owners not wishing to get fined and penalized by the Washington State Liquor Control Board hire bouncers, who can get training from the board on how to check IDs.

Mullen said he used the training from the Callaloo, his own instincts and past experiences to formulate his method of checking.

Mullen said he checks the name and birth date, does a face-to-photo comparison, then if he has doubts about the ID, he asks for the person’s middle name. Females use fake IDs more often, he said.

"The younger, the blonder, the sluttier they look—the more likely they’re underage," Mullen said.

The owners offer a $20 bonus for every fake ID seized, Mullen said. It serves as an incentive to not let anyone underage in.

Western alumna Anguilina Zagorova co-owns the Callaloo with two others. IDs confiscated at the Callaloo end up posted on the wall behind the bar.

Zagorova said spotting fake IDs can be frustratingly difficult, but the employees work as a team to watch everyone’s back.

"Security is our first line of defense," Zagorova said. "But ultimately, it’s up to those pouring the drinks, too."

Grocery stores and convenience stores also take steps against accepting fake IDs.

Ken Oh has owned The Super Store for the past four years and said his store has not received a single violation from the liquor board.

In order to stay on top of fake IDs, Oh uses a black light and asks for a second form of identification. If it is a fake ID, people do not usually have a school ID or bank card to back it up, he said.

"With lots of [IDs], it’s hard because the faces are similar," Oh said. "That’s when I ask for a second ID, and they say ‘Oh it’s the only ID I have’ or ‘It’s in the car.’ I turn them down and they disappear. If it’s in the car, why not come right back in with it?"

But good fakes do exist, good enough to get by almost anyone, said Thomas Dixon, enforcement captain of the liquor board.

The board and its enforcement officers focus on educating bouncers on how to check for every level of fakes, Dixon said. After educating, the next step is to regulate, he said.

"If they let [a patron in with] an ID that would fool anybody, we’re certainly not going to hold them accountable," Dixon said. "Now if they let one by that is obviously fake or borrowed, that’s when we cite them."

The penalties given to an establishment accepting a fake ID vary depending on how many offenses the establishment has had in the past.

For a first-time offense, a five-day liquor license suspension or a $500 fine is issued.

Also, in a two-year window, if an establishment has four violations, the establishment loses its liquor license. The establishment would then have to reapply for a license.

The bouncers, bartenders and owners are not the only ones at risk. Using a fake ID is a criminal gross misdemeanor, which is one step below a felony.

The penalty varies on the person’s record and on the judge hearing the case, Dixon said.

A fine of $100 to $500 is often issued, but more importantly, the person will have a criminal record that will not go away, he said.

When applying for a job, the person will have to mark that offense on the application, Dixon said.

Ten minutes before midnight, the line at the Callaloo had reached more than 30 people.

As Katy Perry’s "I Kissed a Girl" played inside, a brunette wearing a short denim skirt and black halter consulted her friend "Do you really think this is going to work?"

Her friend assured her everything would be fine. Eyeing the bouncers checking IDs, the brunette got nervous and left. For now, her record will not be tainted by the lure of underage drinking.

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