By ID verification is a process that we go through so often that we have stopped paying attention to it now. But this has only happened because the process of verification is now effortless with the help of advanced ID scanners. Previously, ID verification wasn’t smooth enough to go completely unnoticed.
Manual ID verification either meant extremely long lines at clubs, departmental stores, and concerts, or it meant tons of mistakes. Checking IDs manually is a completely impossible process now because as technology has advanced, so has the process of producing counterfeit ID cards.
Counterfeit ID cards and fake driver’s licenses are produced for a multitude of reasons ranging from seemingly innocent ones (teenagers creating fake IDs to enter bars and clubs) to severely criminal ones (scammers performing identity theft). Even the innocent cases can turn out to be disastrous though.
Minors often carry fake IDs to bars or alcohol shops in order to buy liquor. If the bartender or salesman fails to notice the fake ID and ends up selling alcohol to the teenagers, the business can end up in deep legal trouble.
If the minor that you have sold liquor to ends up causing destruction to life and property, you will be the one to blame. This is what is known as “dram shop charges”. A simple mistake from your side might end up costing you thousands of dollars in compensation. Even apart from that, you could have to pay heavy fines and penalties for selling alcohol (or any other age-restricted substances) to a minor.
Thankfully, we don’t have to deal with these problems now to a large extent. This stems from nothing but technological advancement. How has modern tech – or more specifically, the revolutionary ID scanner – changed the process of ID verification? Read on to find out.
How Have Technological Advancements Changed the Process of ID Verification?
With the invention of ID scanners, the entire process of verification and authentication has been altered permanently. So, what makes the ID scanners better than our eyes?
There are uncountable factors that need to be taken into account:
No Need to be Afraid of Counterfeit IDs
Counterfeit IDs are no longer distinguishable by mere sight. Producers of counterfeit IDs can even slap fake QR codes or bar codes onto the IDs. How can your eyes tell one barcode apart from the other?
Well, ID scanners can definitely manage this task in no time. ID scanners depend on processes like pattern recognition and micro-detail verifications. They can even verify the hologram overlays on your card. In short, it is almost impossible to trick an ID scanner with a fake ID card or driver’s license.
No More Long Lines at Security Checks
One of the key features good ID scanners have is speed. Unless your ID scanner can verify the IDs fast and then return to its original state immediately, it will be useless in a bar, departmental store, or even a concert.
The entire point of modern technology is to make life more convenient as a whole. The ID scanner serves exactly that purpose by reducing the time of scrutiny. This doesn’t mean that the process of scrutiny itself suffers, however.
Unless ID scanners can function effortlessly, you still end up with a long line, and that is literally the exact reason security officials get ID scanners in the first place.
Stores Lists of Banned Individuals
This is an added perk of ID scanners that you might not have already known of. ID scanners are very often used in bars, clubs, concerts, and racetracks. This is because these places either deal in alcohol or where money exchanges hand quite frequently.
These are the exact places where you might encounter troublemakers. You can stop worrying if you have a high-quality ID scanner though. You can put these troublemakers on banned lists. The moment these same IDs get scanned again, the ID scanner alerts the owner about the problematic ID that it has detected.
This way, you can ensure the security of your own property, your employees, and also your patrons. If needed, you can also turn this feature off, in case you don’t want to store data from ID cards that were previously scanned.
Easily Portable
The new wireless ID scanners that are in use now are extremely easy to carry around because very often they don’t require a WiFi network to function. The internet is only required when the information needs to be uploaded to the cloud.
Otherwise, handheld ID scanners can be taken anywhere and everywhere. They aren’t fragile devices like tablets that can easily succumb to the wear and tear of heavy usage. This is exactly why handheld ID scanners are preferred by patrolling police officers.
In Conclusion
You cannot have a business establishment without having an ID scanner, especially if you happen to sell alcohol, tobacco, medical marijuana, or any other age-restricted substance. But it is not only businesses that sell age-restricted products that should invest in high-quality ID scanners.
This is because identity theft has become an immense problem now. Manual ID scanning is no longer a viable process of verification because counterfeiters have also come a long way from the days of pasting a fake photo onto an ID. Therefore, modern technology is needed to counter the evils created by modern technology itself.
