Fake IDs Aren’t Just a Funny College Story

In a recent Q&A with The Daily Cardinal, rapper and University of Wisconsin-Madison alum, Yung Gravy, looked back on his college days - campus life, a $70 music video that helped launch his career, and, yes, fake IDs. 

When asked if he ever had a fake ID as a student, he laughs it off: he had several, some confiscated by grocery stores and bars, some just lost along the way. It’s presented as a nostalgic, relatable detail in a light campus feature about a successful former student coming back to town. 

On one level, that makes sense: this is an entertainment Q&A, not a policy brief. But as a company that works at the intersection of nightlife, underage drinking, and ID verification, we can’t ignore what’s happening here: Fake IDs are being framed, again, as a harmless rite of passage, instead of a serious public safety, risk to venue owners, and community issue. 

Yung Gravy is far from the only one who’s ever had a fake ID, and he’s certainly not the villain in this story. The problem is the pattern: when media, celebrities, and culture all treat fake ID use as a funny anecdote or a clever hack, the real risks get erased. 

And those risks are very real. 

The “Everybody Did It” Myth 

On many campuses, fake IDs are treated as a joke, a flex, or even a badge of belonging. Stats back up how widespread it is: 

• Studies suggest that around one-third to nearly two-thirds of college students admit to using a fake ID at least once. 

• Fake ID possession is strongly linked to higher rates of binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, arrests, and other substance use. 

From a student’s perspective, it can feel like a harmless shortcut. From the view of a bar owner, manager, or city official, it’s very different: 

• Every fake ID at the door is a potential license violation. 

• Every underage drinker is a potential incident, injury, or crash that someone will have to answer for. 

When we normalize fake IDs as a “college phase,” we’re essentially normalizing higher risk for everyone around them. 

What Fake IDs Are Actually Connected To 

Underage drinking isn’t just about who gets into which bar. Public-health and safety data is very clear: 

• Underage drinking contributes to injuries, assaults, alcohol poisonings, and deaths every year. 

• Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of thousands of people under 21 in the U.S. annually. 

• Fake ID holders are more likely to report alcohol-related arrests and serious alcohol problems compared to their peers. 

So when a high-profile artist casually mentions having five fake IDs in college, and the story is packaged as quirky backstory, it reinforces the idea that this is normal and consequence-free. For a lot of students, staff, and communities, it’s not. 

Why Media Framing Matters 

Student outlets and entertainment press aren’t trying to promote unsafe behavior. But how these stories are framed matters: 

• The question (“Did you have a fake ID?”) is framed as a fun, insider detail. 

• The answer is treated as a punchline, not a teachable moment. 

There’s no obligation for every Q&A to become a safety PSA, but imagine the impact if even one sentence of context were added: 

• A note that fake IDs can lead to criminal charges, license suspensions, or long-term records. 

• A reminder that underage drinking is still linked to thousands of preventable deaths and serious harms every year. 

Instead, we get the same old storyline: “I had fake IDs, it was wild, everything turned out fine.” That’s survivorship bias in action. We’re hearing from the people who made it through; we don’t hear from the ones who didn’t. 

This Isn’t About Blaming Artists. It’s About Raising the Standard. 

To be clear: 
We’re not blaming Yung Gravy for campus drinking culture, and we’re not asking artists to sanitize every interview. 

What we are saying is: 

• Fake IDs are not just a personal choice between a student and a bouncer. 

• They drag bar owners, staff, universities, neighbors, and entire communities into risk. 

• Treating them as a harmless in-joke makes it harder to have honest conversations about safety and responsibility. 

As a company that works directly with bars, clubs, and regulators, we see the other side: 

• Owners who are terrified of losing their licenses after a sting operation. 

• Staff who don’t want to be the “bad guy,” but are the last line of defense before something goes wrong. 

• Cities and campuses trying to reduce preventable harms while still supporting vibrant nightlife. 

Where Technology and Culture Meet 

At Patronscan, we build systems that help venues: 

• Catch high-quality fake IDs that look real to the naked eye. 

• Enforce age limits consistently, even on the busiest nights. 

• Maintain incident logs and banned lists that support both safety and compliance. 

But technology is only half of the story. 

The other half is culture, and culture is shaped by: 

• The stories artists tell, 

• The way media frames those stories, and 

• The attitudes students and communities adopt as a result. 

If the cultural message is “Everybody does it, and it’s fine,” then we’re asking venues and staff to swim against a very strong current. 

What a Better Conversation Could Look Like 

Imagine if, after a fake ID anecdote, the conversation went one notch deeper: 

• “Yeah, I had fake IDs… but I got lucky it never went really wrong.” 

• “Bars and door staff are under huge pressure when underage guests slip in.” 

• “If you’re underage, there are safer ways to enjoy campus life than drinking in bars.” 

Media doesn’t have to be preachy to be responsible. A single sentence of context can signal to readers that: 

• This might be common, 

• It might be relatable, 

• But it’s not risk-free or consequence-free. 

Our Takeaway 

We’re glad people are talking about fake IDs out loud. It’s better than pretending the problem doesn’t exist. 

But we also believe: 

Just because something is common doesn’t mean it should be normalized. And, just because a story worked out for one person doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone else. 

At Patronscan, we’ll keep doing our part on the technology and venue side: giving bars, clubs, and retailers tools to verify IDs, protect their licenses, and keep people safer. 

We’d love to see more of the cultural conversation evolve in the same direction where “I had a fake ID” isn’t just a punchline, but a starting point for a more honest discussion about risk, responsibility, and what it really means to look out for each other. 

Contact Us to learn more about how Patronscan can help venues like yours.