BarZapp iPhone App creator Nelson Ludlow says his new app will not stop all fake IDs, but will catch a lot.
BarZapp, which costs $1.99 on the iTunes store, scans the barcode on IDs and verifies encoded information of the card owner. When the ID is scanned it instantly displays the card owner’s name, date of birth, ID expiration, and ID number. The app’s developer says this scanning will primarily target the authenticity of IDs and will be compatible with any ID card from all 50 states.
Ludlow realizes that underage patrons have been able to purchase IDs online from overseas in places such as China. This is exactly what his app is hoping to stop.
“China is making a lot of high-end fake IDs that people pay 200 or 300 dollars for, and we catch a significant amount of them. If someone fiddles with a date or something in the bar code … you better do it exactly the right way,” Ludlow told the Huffington Post.
The app can be downloaded by anyone, but the company release states that bar owners will need to purchase a license if they intend to use the app on a company-wide scale.
If the embarrassment of being rejected on a fake ID isn’t enough, another feautre of the app includes being able to permanately ban an individual from the establishment.
