CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new tool is helping law enforcement single out fake IDs within minutes.
Fake IDs and underage drinking is a growing, dangerous problem across the state and in Charlotte, officials said.
Alcohol Beverage Control officials showed Channel 9 the technology that could help them save lives.
“Technology was good for the people making the IDs and it's also good for us now,” Mike Crowley, with ABC, said.
His officers have a new crucial tool, an app on their cellphones and inside ABC stores across Mecklenburg County.
The app uses a cellphone camera to read the barcode on the back.
"It actually reads the barcode on the back and it authenticates it and tells us whether it matches what's on the front," Crowley said.
The app gives officers a sign, green if it's legit or red if it's a fake ID.
"Yellow, you need to look at it again, it could be expired," Crowley said.
ABC officers have seen a huge success in the past three weeks catching a dozen fake IDs with the new app.
He hopes they'll stop people under 21 from committing a crime that could have serious, even deadly consequences.
If someone under 21 tries to purchase alcohol with a fake ID, it could cost them their license, Crowley said.
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