NORTH Vancouver RCMP say they are noticing an uptick in the number of incidences of minors being caught with fake IDs.
There have been 12 recent cases of teens being caught with phony out-of-province driver's licences and government citizenship cards, which are typically used by kids to buy alcohol and get into bars.
The average age of the kids being caught with them was 16, according to RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong.
"This is big business for the criminal who charges between $160 and $180 for two pieces of fraudulent identification," De Jong said in the release.
De Jong said the teens are significantly at risk of having their identities stolen by handing personal information to known fraudsters. He said parents need to talk to their kids about drinking and fake IDs. "It is important that parents educate their children on the dangers of underage drinking. . . . The safety of their children's future may just rely on them literally acting their own age."
