Last updated on March 19th, 2024 at 03:20 pm
As states become more stringent with their ID scanning laws, businesses are always looking for a solution they can trust to ensure their compliance, but also a solution that is easy and readily available – Insert a fake ID scanner app. ID scanner apps are easily accessible for staff to download from their respective app stores onto their phones as a mobile solution that can be transported wherever they need in order to verify age. With such a wide selection of fake ID scanner apps on the market, we decided to test 7 of the top results on the app store against known fake and real IDs to compare results and give you information to make your decision easier.
You can see results from last year’s test here.
Test parameters
We tested known IDs against 7 different ID scanner apps.
We tested 7 real IDs, which have been authenticated as legitimate and verified using third party checks.
We also tested 43 known fake IDs against the same apps.
This gives us a total of 50 test scans.
Fake ID scanner apps tested
- GETMobileVerify
- VeriScan
- ID Scanner
- ID Scanner Professional
- Scandit
- Scannr
- Vemos – ID Scan
GET MobileVerify
GET Mobile Verify is a mobile solution that allows businesses to inspect and verify an ID for age validation as well as ID authenticity. It is a free app on both the Apple AppStore and the Google Play store.
When tested against the 7 known real IDs, GETMobileVerify passed 7/7.
When tested against the 43 known fake IDs, it caught 1/43 fake IDs. It is important to note the app didn’t actually register the one ID as a fake ID, it just wouldn’t scan any of the data from the barcode (which can lead one to believe the ID is likely fake, but could also be because the ID is damaged or dirty).
There were two instances where the ID was scanned, but the information on the front didn’t match the information contained in the barcode, leaving it up to employees to catch the difference. One person who was displaying female data on the front, scanned male data from the back barcode. Another person displayed one name on the front, but scanned in as Kiera Knightly (yes, the actress/model) in the barcode.
Pros
- Easy user interface
- Free solution
- Can scan Utah mobile drivers licenses
Cons
- Only verifies whether someone is 18 or 21 and older
- Doesn’t catch fake IDs
- Get Mobile Verify has other options to select for filters you want to add, but none are ones to determine whether the ID is fake. The app just filters what data you want to pull from the ID.
ID Scanner
ID Scanner is an ID scanner app that is available on both the Apple App store and the Google Play store. The app is designed to scan IDs to catch if they are valid, expired, and more.
When we tested the 7 known real IDs, ID Scanner passed 4/7. 3 of the legitimate IDs were flagged as fake. This high rate of false positives will create poor customer service and line jams at entrance.
When tested against the 43 known fake IDs, ID Scanner caught 23/43. 20 known fake IDs passed through the ID Scanner app.
Pros
- The user interface is relatively simple
- The app is free
- Catches some fake IDs
Cons
- High rate of false positives – known legitimate IDs that were flagged as fake
- Using the banned and VIP feature is not self explanatory and requires some finesse
- No detailed history other than the name, age, and scan date/time
ID Scanner Professional
ID Scanner professional is an ID scanner app that is available on both the Apple AppStore and the Google Play Store. It is designed to “verify document information” and acts as a sort of visitor management tool for bars, restaurants, clubs, and cafes.
When we tested the 7 known real IDs, ID Scanner Professional passed 6/7, but for 3/6 that it passed, the app stated it “couldn’t read part of the data”.
When we tested against the 43 known fake IDs, ID Scanner Professional caught 12/43. The same pop-up, stating that it “couldn’t read part of the data” happened again when testing the fake IDs. Across all IDs, it had trouble reading part of the data.
Pros
- The app has a detailed history
Cons
- After the initial test scans, the app becomes a paid solution
- The scanner is inconsistent. Sometimes it scans the barcode on the ID, but sometimes it will only take a picture and analyze the picture
- Same results, about inability to read data, for both fake and legitimate IDs create a confusing experience for the user
- The VIP and Banned functions were not immediately obvious
Scandit
Scandit is a data capture platform designed to scan a variety of different barcode types and verify an ID. The app is available on both the Apple AppStore and the Google Play Store.
When we tested the 7 known real IDs, Scandit passed 4/7.
When we tested against the 43 known fake IDs, Scandit caught 24/43. Of the 24, on 1/24 explicitly said “Failed Barcode Verification”, the others simply would not scan.
Pros
- The app is free
- The app can read a variety of barcode types
Cons
- The user interface is clunky and very busy
- No scan history
- Camera inconsistently scans
- Some fake IDs simply do not scan, which can lead to user confusion as to whether the app is working, rather than a clear pop-up with scan results
Scannr
Scannr is an app designed to track patrons and detect underage patrons using “bouncer mode”. The app is available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
When we tested the 7 known real IDs, Scanner passed 7/7.
When we tested the 43 known fake IDs, Scannr caught 2/43. The only two that were not scanned as valid, were only marked as such because the IDs would not scan at all on the app. Even with “bouncer mode” turned on, no fake IDs were flagged meaning it likely only checked to make sure the age met the necessary requirements.
Pros
- The scanner scans quickly
- Modern user interface
- No false positives
Cons
- Did not catch any fakes
- Only shows basic demographic information
- No detailed history
- After the initial test scans, the app becomes a paid solution
Vemos – ID Scan
Vemos – ID Scan is a platform designed to allow easy age verification as well as a basic visitor management system. The app is available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
When we tested the 7 known real IDs, Vemos – ID Scan passed 6/7. The one real ID that was not passed was not done so because there was an error verifying the ID.
When we tested the 43 known fake IDs, Vemos – ID Scan caught 9/43. Of the IDs that were known fakes, all of the IDs that were not flagged as possible fake IDs or had errors verifying were passed as over 21, leaving it up to the user to allow entry, deny entry, or ban.
Pros
- The app is free
- The camera scans relatively easily
Cons
- The user interface is not very self explanatory
- The history only includes scans from the same day
- In the accessible history, there is only basic information like name and age
VeriScan
Last but not least, we tested our own mobile app: VeriScan.
Along with being an age verification platform, it also doubles as a visitor management solution. The app is available on both the Apple AppStore and the Google Play store.
When tested against the 7 known real IDs, VeriScan passed 7/7. When tested against the 43 known fake IDs, VeriScan caught an incredible 43/43. Along with informing the user that an ID was real, it included a popup to let the user know if an ID was expired. With the fake IDs, the same expiration warning popped up, but the display message informing users of a potential fake read: Suspicious ID – additional validation recommended.
Pros
- Easy user interface
- Specific groups to put patrons into
- Consistent results
- Pop-ups are helpful
- Free one month trial
- Detailed scan history
Cons
- When you use the camera to scan, it is quite zoomed in, so you have to pull back a good bit to scan. Our Product team tells us this has been fixed in a recent update.
- Paid solution after the first month
Summary of findings
Of the 7 ID scanner apps tested, one stood out from the competition, with a close second and third place, while apps four through seven showed dismal results. In order of best to worst when catching fake IDs while also accepting real IDs, the results are as follows:
- VeriScan: 7/7 Real IDs passed | 43/43 Fake IDs caught
- Scandit: 4/7 Read IDs passed | 24/43 Fake IDs caught
- ID Scanner: 4/7 Real IDs passed | 23/43 Fake IDs caught
- ID Scanner Professional: 6/7 Real IDs passed | 12/43 Fake IDs caught
- Vemos – ID Scan: 6/7 Real IDs passed | 9/43 Fake IDs caught
- Scannr: 7/7 Real IDs passed | 2/43 Fake IDs caught
- GET Mobile Verified: 7/7 Real IDs passed | 1/43 Fake IDs caught
These findings, especially for the lower performing ID scanner apps are concerning because businesses are downloading these solutions in an attempt to protect themselves against compliance checks, underage patrons, and potential lawsuits related to serving minors. Having a solution that claims to verify both age and validity of an ID, while not doing, that can seriously harm a business.
The results of the research are clear, VeriScan outperformed the competition. For the most accurate results when scanning IDs at your business, download the VeriScan app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and try our ID scanner app for yourself.
