Alcohol, entering casinos and age ID: Why you should never use your passport as a valid form of ID

If you choose to present your passport to the duty manager, restaurant staff, event staff or casino security, you are setting yourself up for potential trouble due to the risks associated with it.

Please note that this is in no way, victim blaming anyone who has had their passport stolen. Last blog, I made a blog about Grace Millane, and have amplified the fact that victim blaming is in no way acceptable.

Otorohanga, New Zealand. It was a long day for me, having done the Black Abyss 5 hour caving adventure in Waitomo, which was filled with adrenaline, adventure and lots of fun. I got back to the motel, rested, and went to a bar nearby called The Thirsty Weta. I ordered a cocktail, the bar manager asked me for my ID, I presented my ID and he told me that is a very old ID. I said it was valid, and that I’m 26. He asked for my passport, to which I said NO, not only did we not have our passports with us, but I explained that is a big risk given we were recently robbed in Paris, following my mum signing a clipboard petition and paying a Euro — only to end up losing 400 Euros to the scammers later. I then showed him a NZ Herald article of me and my mother’s experience in Paris with the clipboard scammers, and that article had my age on it. It was at that point he decided it was OK and I was served my cocktail. And I had the sense not to even bring my passport along too. I will be explaining why it is never a good idea to use it as an age ID.

There are plenty of reasons why you should never present your passport to any staff member of any place or event for any reason, unless it is a court order (or any other legal requirement), or to immigration/customs when going through security.

Many of the reasons are:

• It presents a significant risk of identity theft; people (including staff) can just take a photo of your passport and use it for malicious and fraudulent reasons
• Using a passport as a valid ID (age card) also presents a significant risk of pickpocketing — in some cases, thieves can pose as a duty manager, a waitress or an event staff member, and use checking your age as an excuse to steal your passport — the carding is not just a distraction, but an opportunistic time and excuse for the thieves. Then, either the poser, or another thief will snatch the passport and get away with it. This scam is common in Europe, just like the clipboard scam and the gold ring scam.
• Even genuine bar managers, restaurant managers and events security team staff can have have committed acts of pickpocketing and identity fraud, this is also something to keep in mind.
• Even if none of those things happen, you are setting yourself up for embarrassment and offense emotionally.
• Grace Millane’s case has proven that no one around who you don’t know can be trusted with your passport (Kempson was shunned by his family for being a thief). For example, you go out on a date with someone, you get carded and as you don’t have your ID with you, they request your passport which you present. You then put your passport back in your bag and ask your new “date” or new “friend” to look after it when you need to use the toilet. The person you are meeting up with decides to rumble through your bag and sees your passport and cash, and decides to steal it.
• If you are not robbed, or pickpocketed, there is also that risk of losing your passport as well, another thing to keep in mind.
• There’s also the issue of privacy, there are some bad actors out there who can photograph your passport and use it to invade your privacy online, or dox you. There are also associated security risks associated when someone uploads a photo of your passport online, even with good intentions.

In short, you are simply asking for trouble if you choose to use your passport as a way of proving your age. The best that can happen is that you will be feeling embarrassed and upset about having to present your passport in front of other customers or event goers, and the absolute worst that can happen are identity theft/fraud, pickpocketing or even robbery - which can turn violent. To save your face in the former, and your passport (and emotional wellbeing) in the latter, do not ever use a passport as an age ID.

Instead, if you have other age verification methods on you, you can use a driver’s license, or if you are lucky and can get away with it, you can present your social media accounts that display your age — or a news article that you’re mentioned in that mentions your age. The latter is what I did, and I got my cocktail. After the Grace Millane case and learning about Jesse Kempson being dishonest, and later on for us, being robbed in Paris by three Romanian women with clipboards, I will not be letting anyone other than immigration/customs, airport staff (only when required) or police (if I need to show it for whatever reason) see it. For me, it’s OK if they can’t serve me alcohol just because I forgot my ID or it’s not valid. I can drink at home, or elsewhere or even in a park or a beach with friends. It’s better not to be served alcohol for the mistake of not bringing your ID, or for them to deem your ID old, than to have your passport stolen (or end up losing it). It was bad enough in Paris as it was, my bag and my phone were not cheap, and it was very lucky I did not sign the petition otherwise the bag (with the phone in it) could have been snatched too.

Also, if you are going on a domestic road trip in your country, or even by plane around your own country — there’s no need to bring your passport, since you are not travelling internationally. You will only need it for domestic travel if it involves using a domestic destination as a starting point of an international trip i.e going from Auckland, to Queenstown in the South Island, then from Queenstown to Sydney, and on to other international destinations, such as Dubai, Singapore, Athens, Paris etc. Taking your passport on a road trip domestically presents significant risks with similar reasons above.

To restaurant, casino and event staff: Don’t ask me for my passport, I will not present it. I’d rather be refused service or entry than to become a victim of identity theft or a robbery. And after what we’ve been through in Paris, I’d rather pay the full price for what we buy, and not claim back anything as there is a requirement to present your passport.