That is not valid ID

[Happy Otter Lover]

A couple of sketchy guys came in at lunch today. I went over to take their beverage order and one of them asked for a beer. We are supposed to ID everyone, regardless of apparent age, but the only time I actually do ID people is the young ones and the sketchy ones. Since this fellow was a member of the latter group, I asked him for ID. He reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a bunch of papers, rifles through them and hands me photocopy of an Alberta (I'm in BC) driver's license.
Me: (not even bothering to take the photocopy) That's not valid ID, I'm afraid
SG: Yes, it's a valid license
Me: I can't accept a photocopy
SG: It's a real license
Me: I have no way of verifying that unless I can see the actual license
SG: What? Why not? It's real!
Me: It could be a photocopy of a fake for all I know
SG: (various noises of annoyance)
Me: Can I get you something non-alcoholic to drink?
SG: Whatever, I'll have a hot chocolate

Seriously, who would ever think that a photocopy is a valid piece of ID? The scary thing is, judging from his reaction, I wouldn't be surprised if another bar had accepted it.

[chops]

I can't believe he thought he'd get away with that.

Even I knew when I got my temporary Massachusetts driver's license (at the time, it was a black-and-white, inkjet-printed, strip of paper with a very grainy version of my photo on it) that I wasn't going to be able to use it as ID until I got the actual license in the mail.

[Shangri-laschild]

I got those and tickets and papers saying they had gotten out of jail (or it may have been some kind of wrist band?) all the time and people honestly thought it would work...

[Racket_Man]

Seriously, who would ever think that a photocopy is a valid piece of ID? The scary thing is, judging from his reaction, I wouldn't be surprised if another bar had accepted it.

I got those and tickets and papers saying they had gotten out of jail (or it may have been some kind of wrist band?) all the time and people honestly thought it would work...

I used to get those alledged ID at the gas station ALLLLLLL the time. I just kept a straight face and said "Sorry not a VALID GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID" a copy of a DL can be manipulated by so many image programs these days.

[iviles]

I hate that! They know they have to show a picture Id why do they even bother. I work next to a high school so we have undercover/plain clothes cops come in all the time to test if we're asking for ID. Had one whip out his badge and ask if this would work...Told him no still need one with a picture on it but had he whipped out his gun I may have been convinced. At lest he laughed.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Here's an honest question. What if it's a Certifiied copy? With the embossed seal & everything? I presume that unless the seal was from some Gov't agency attesting to the existence of the id, that it still wouldn't be legal.

[princess4life]

the state I live in give you a paper copy of your ID then mails the new ID to you. It is a pain because they are not accepted anywhere and it is not even my fault that they do that.

[Shangri-laschild]

Here's an honest question. What if it's a Certifiied copy? With the embossed seal & everything? I presume that unless the seal was from some Gov't agency attesting to the existence of the id, that it still wouldn't be legal.

I used to get these things that were drivers licenses from India (from what I was told). They looked like a booklet made out of construction paper. The photo was usually stapled to it and there was an official looking stamp that was half on the booklet and half on the picture. I refused to take those. Yes there was an offical looking stamp. Then again, I didn't take any IDs in other languages anyway. But they really did look fake and crappy though they could have been real.

[Department stores *sigh*]

As far as I know in BC an Alberta license is only accepted at gov't owned liquor stores. Least thats what they told me when I went to buy some when I was in Vancouver a few years back.

[cravenmorhead]

Hi I am an Albertian. One of the funky things about alberta is that when you get a new license, you get a temporary one to use until the new one gets in. You have to surrender your lisence, and what you get in return is a paper license that doesn't have your picture on it, and it is valid ID. It isn't a photo copy, but there isn't much that is preventing someone from duping it, or using it as a fake ID.

It does cause some headaches though, I was IDed with the temporary ID, and the guy was waffling on it, until a co-worker said it was good.