I was recently discussing with my friend the topic of flying with a fake ID in your bag. We had seen news stories about it and wanted to find out more. I started to research what I could on the matter and wanted to share what I found with her.
For starters, using a fake ID to fly without proper identification is a crime. It doesn’t matter if you are a juvenile or an adult, it can be assumed that you will suffer the legal consequences if caught. Flight staff are trained to spot fake IDs, so if they have any suspicion, they could call the authorities.
I was also told that although it was possible to fly with a fake ID, it would be very risky and not recommended to do so. The risk of being caught was simply too great. The consequences could be severe.
The idea of someone using a fake ID to get on a plane made me feel uncomfortable. What if the person was on the wrong list and wanted to escape? What if they were up to something nefarious? Could they be stopped before the plane took to the skies?
To put it simply, the risk of using a fake ID to board a plane was just not worth it. Even if you correctly addressed the decision behind the fake ID, the potential consequences could be disastrous.
But somehow, this didn’t stop people from attempting to board a plane with a fake ID. I heard about stories of people booking trips to exotic locations, using a fake ID and credit card to springboard their trip. Then, many were quickly apprehended before they even got on the plane.
It became quite apparent to me that the chances of getting away with a fake ID was very low. After hearing these stories, I felt a bit of sympathy for the offenders. On the one hand, they were trying to escape their lives for a new one, which, on the other hand, wasn’t really worth the risk.
Using a fake ID was a crime and you could be caught at any time. I didn’t think it was a good idea to try and outsmart the law when it came to flying with a fake ID. Even if you had a successful flight, the consequences when you eventually got caught could be disastrous.
At the very least, it was rightly sensible to assume that it was not a good idea to fly with a fake ID. But given the criminals caught with fake IDs and all the stories, there was no doubt in my mind that anything good would come from it. Using a fake ID to fly was bad news.
The next logical step was understanding the legal ramifications of flying with a fake ID. Turns out, the consequences were severe. Fines, imprisonment and revocation of flying privileges were the most obvious punishments upon conviction.
If caught, the court could also rule that the offender would have to pay for the full cost of the ticket. And, if the offender was found to be under 21, they could also be subjected to further age verification checks at the airport.
Plus, if you were successful in getting away with the fake ID, you could run the risk of getting into legal trouble when you landed. You could be arrested for perjury or fraud, and have an arrest record haunting you for the rest of your days.
In the end, I could only tell my friend one thing: Flying with a fake ID was a bad idea and should be avoided at all costs.