How TruAge From NACS Keeps You Protected

California added photographs to state issued IDs in 1958, but the modern practice of carding didn't really take off until the 1980s. For most retailers, carding hasn't really changed since the days of Ronald Reagan.

TruAge from NACS offers a better alternative: faster, safer, built for the future, with privacy safeguards and a credible reporting trail.

High Stakes

But first, a reminder that the risk in California, in particular, is high. The state runs two age-restricted compliance regimes. Under the STAKE Act, tobacco and vape violations escalate fast: a warning, a $500 fine, then license suspensions of 45 and 180 days, then revocation, all within three years. Alcohol carries its own exposure: The ABC can suspend a license for 25 days or more on a second underage sale within 36 months, with fines from $750 to $6,000, plus a misdemeanor charge for the employee involved.

Both regimes assume a rushed employee or a self-checkout kiosk with no employee at all will still get it right, every time. Legacy tools were built for a simpler retail world, one that no longer exists. And the future is only going to be more complex.

Free—and Future Facing

"At NACS, part of representing the convenience and fuel retailing industry is looking ahead at tomorrow's problems and solutions. We've been working on a better age-assurance solution with strong buy-in from the convenience industry's retailer and supplier communities. Customers want a more digital, frictionless experience today. Legislators are also looking for digital pathways that protect customer data and privacy at the same time. Now it's a patchwork, but we're prepared for a move that could become mandatory," said Stephanie Sikorski, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at NACS and CEO of TruAge.

TruAge is 100% free for convenience stores and many small retailers, and is available at a low cost to large grocery stores and mass retailers. In addition, it syncs with California's mobile driver's license and digital wallet.

"Given California's strong penalties for retailers for selling to underage individuals and the wide adoption of the mobile license program, we've prioritized implementation in the state—working directly with CA DMV leadership to pilot the first successful rollout and integration at retail," Sikorski said.

Implementation is painless. Team members don't need to learn any new device or process. "TruAge has received fantastic support from all parts of the convenience ecosystem, including all major point-of-sale (POS) providers serving the C-Store industry:  Verifone, Invenco, NCR & GK" Sikorski said. "TruAge is built to replace age-verification systems built natively into POS systems and is part of every new software release going forward from every major POS provider. Virtually every retailer has a path to implementation."

Staying One Step Ahead of Mandatory Fees

NACS has been fighting credit card swipe fees for more than a decade. "We don't want to see the same sort of charge added to age-restricted purchases due to legislative mandate and competing for-profit providers," said Sikorski. "Given that we conduct nearly 59 million age-restricted transactions a day in our industry, a swipe-fee-like age-verification charge would cost our industry billions. That’s just one of the critical reasons why we're ahead of the curve with a not-for-profit solution built by the industry."

A Reporting Trail

With TruAge, customers receive an instant yes or no, and retailers receive a credible reporting trail.

"The reporting trail is critical," Sikorski said. "Retailers can see reports broken down by store to monitor carding rates, type of ID used (digital or traditional) or where fake IDs are being flagged or volume limitations reached. More than that, the token appended to each transaction, along with the reports, is court-admissible proof that, as a retailer, you are doing what you're supposed to be doing."

How Does TruAge Work?

How does TruAge work? Whether the customer has a physical license or uses a digital ID on their phone, TruAge captures just four data points, logs them as a single encrypted token and returns an instant yes or no. The token verifies age and validity, then anonymizes everything else, so your team never has to store, see or worry about a customer's personal information.

TruAge's core technology was adopted into the W3C's Verifiable Credentials standard, the specification Apple and Microsoft are building their digital ID tools around. As digital passports and other credentials come online, TruAge is built to read those too, no system rip-out required: a physical ID today, a mobile license now, and ready for the future.

Learn More—and Next Steps

Join our upcoming webinar to hear from Sikorski about TruAge and how it can be implemented in your stores.

Register Here ->