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A pair of 20-year-old University of South Carolina exchange students from Hong Kong made their way to the front of the line at Latitude 22, a bar in Five Points, one Saturday night in February. The two women, who asked that their names not be used, presented their “IDs” to the bouncer at the door. But instead of drivers’ licenses, they held up their cellphones. They had pictures of digitally altered passports to show they were 21. The bouncer looked at the first phone, took a quick glance at the second and waved both students in. Their altered documents also got them into two other bars earlier in the night, Five Points Saloon and Breakers, the women said.

Underage drinkers armed with fake IDs are the new norm in Five Points, according to interviews with students and bar managers. The trend might help explain the increasingly rowdy party scene that merchants and neighbors say is damaging the entertainment district.

It might also be a contributing factor to the spike in first-year USC students — the vast majority underage — who admitted to drinking in bars. Their ranks nearly tripled from 2012 to 2014, according to, to 39 percent.

Bar owners and managers say spotting fake IDs has become nearly impossible because the quality is so good. But students say many bouncers aren’t even trying. For many underage students hoping to enter a bar, they say their path to legitimacy goes through a popular Philippines-based website,, which boasts of “high-quality IDs at an affordable price” and the chance to “have a great time with your friends!” ID God even includes a duplicate ID in case the buyer loses the first one. To get a new driver’s license shipped to their doorsteps, several students interviewed by The State said they simply followed the guidelines for taking a photo of themselves and wired about $100 to ID God. Efforts by the newspaper to reach the company were unsuccessful. Not that a quality ID is necessary. Several students said they don’t even need to look like their ID photos to gain entry into many Five Points bars.

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Meagan, 20, and Lindsey, 19, who both agreed to be interviewed under the condition that their last names not be used, say they routinely use copies of the same fake ID. At first, the pair say they would enter bars separately to avoid raising suspicion.

Eventually, they noticed people working the door didn’t care. “Honestly, if you have the same color hair (as the picture on the ID), they don’t really take a second glance just because a lot of the bouncers are college kids themselves,” Sophia said. “A lot of bouncers just glance at it. They don’t really even study it.”. By Kelsy DeFee, 21, said she has never had a fake ID, but realized how prevalent they were during her freshman year at USC while taking University 101, a class intended to acclimate students to college life.

The class’s peer leader, who assists instructors and offers support to freshmen, asked whether anyone in the class had a fake ID. DeFee said everyone was timid, unsure of how to answer the question, until the peer leader assured group members they wouldn’t get in trouble.

That’s when every person’s hand in the class shot up, she said. USC does not apply any education efforts specific to fake IDs, said Jeff Stensland, director of public relations at the university. “Because it is against the law, it would, obviously, be discouraged along with a host of other activities,” Stensland said in an email. “We do, however, provide them (students) with a wealth of information about responsible drinking.” Adam Ruonala, owner of The Roost and Rooftop in Five Points, said he is trying to raise the bar on how bouncers evaluate IDs. Employees now use blacklights and ID scanners to test the authenticity of each ID presented at the door every night. Blacklights are used to display the holographic image on the ID, as well as detect any inconsistencies in its makeup.