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There's an increase in fake IDs, Little Rock bar says

The Hillcrest Fountain says they've seen nearly 50 underage kids attempting to use fake IDs in the last two months.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Summer is usually a busy time for businesses in Central Arkansas, especially for Hillcrest Fountain in Little Rock.

With larger crowds expected this time of year, the Fountain has noticed a particular trend this summer.

Underaged kids are attempting to enter the bar with fake IDs.

"We have a person working at the front door to check the IDs and to make sure people aren't coming in and out with drinks," Fountain Assistant Manager Kolleen Elbert said. "It seems like, this year, there's been an influx of it because they are more available... to get online."

Elbert said they've encountered nearly 50 fake IDs in the last two months.

“It has their actual picture, their name, their address on it," Elbert said. "Some of them are out-of-state IDs. Some of them are even Arkansas IDs."

Hillcrest Fountain follows a process if they suspect someone is using a fake ID.

"We ask for a second form of identification to prove that it's them," Elbert said. "If we're uncomfortable with it, we just send them away.”

Sarah Bryant, the owner of Hillcrest Fountain, believes this trend is dangerous for businesses in Central Arkansas.

“If we got caught with three minors," Bryant said. "We could lose our liquor license and shut us down, which affects everyone here plus me."

Bryant said they're doing everything possible to ensure that doesn't happen.

“We have flashlights to shine on it to try to tell the hologram,” Bryant said. “It's difficult, but I think we're doing a pretty good, as good a job as human beings can do."

Some fake IDs can even fool some restaurants' barcode scanners at the door.

Other businesses have also reported an uptick in fake IDs being used.

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