ID Verification & Preventing Underage Sales Flashcards

Under TIPS guidelines, which action should a server take FIRST when a patron appears to be close to the legal drinking age?

Answer: Check whether the ID has expired

Checking expiration is the fastest initial filter — an expired ID is immediately invalid regardless of any other factor. If it has expired, service must be refused without needing to examine additional features.

According to TIPS training, which part of a government-issued ID do minors MOST commonly alter in an attempt to purchase alcohol?

Answer: The birth date

Minors most frequently alter the birth year to make themselves appear of legal drinking age. Servers should pay extra attention to any signs of tampering around the date of birth field.

A patron hands you a driver's license that feels as though the lamination is slightly raised near the date-of-birth area. What does TIPS training recommend?

Answer: Refuse service, return the ID, and document the refusal

Raised or bubbled lamination near key fields is a classic sign of tampering. TIPS trains servers to refuse service in this situation. Servers should return the ID because they do not have legal authority to confiscate documents, and they should document the incident.

Which of the following forms of identification is NOT acceptable for age verification under TIPS guidelines?

Answer: A photocopy of a driver's license

Photocopies cannot be authenticated — security features, holograms, and raised seals that prove genuineness are absent from copies. Only original government-issued documents with verifiable security features are acceptable.

When a server asks a patron whose ID looks questionable to state their birthdate, the patron hesitates and gets the year wrong. What is the BEST interpretation of this under TIPS training?

Answer: This is a strong indicator of a fraudulent ID and service should be refused

Genuine ID holders are typically very familiar with their own personal details. Hesitation or an incorrect birthdate strongly suggests the ID does not belong to the person presenting it. TIPS trains servers to refuse service in this scenario.

To correctly determine whether a patron has reached the legal drinking age, TIPS recommends which calculation method?

Answer: Counting backward from today's exact date to confirm the full birthdate meets the legal minimum

Counting back from today's exact date accounts for situations where a patron's birthday falls later in the current year, meaning a simple year subtraction could incorrectly indicate they are of legal age when they have not yet reached their birthday.