How to spot a fake id by the barcode encoding

Most people don't know how to spot a fake id by the barcode, but bouncers with scanners do. A 2D barcode (PDF417) stores a lot of hidden data, including your address, hair color, and even the issue date of the card. If the barcode is encoded with generic info that doesn't match the front of the card, the scanner will flag it.

I have seen some novelty id cards where the barcode was just a random string of numbers. When scanned, it showed a 45-year-old man from Florida instead of a 21-year-old girl from California. That is why you need to make sure your vendor is actually encoding your specific data into the barcode. Always ask about this before you buy!