HIGH school students are being warned ahead of Schoolies celebrations attempts to obtain a fake ID could land them in gaol.
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As thousands of students across the state conclude their HSC exams, many will head on end-of-school trips to a range of domestic and international tourism hot-spots.
Historically around this time of year, according to the state's transport agency, there is an increase in the number of under age people applying for a licence - often using the details of older siblings or friends.
"This is a risky strategy as there is a very sophisticated face matching system in place to help identify fraudulent applications," Transport for NSW executive director compliance Melinda Bailey said.
"In under a minute up to 35 million images can be checked by the system to verify identity.
"Misrepresenting yourself when you apply for a licence or photo card has severe consequences including significant fines and the chance of a gaol sentence."
Transport for NSW has identified 1220 cases of people with multiple records since March, 2018.
Of those, 84 people had their licence or photo card cancelled as it was obtained by false statement.
Ms Bailey said technology improvements in recent years meant an increasing number of state and federal agencies were working together to identify criminal activity using the face matching system with a number of people being identified and prosecuted for criminal offences.
The offences may relate to visa offences, Centrelink, immigration, taxation and other financial fraud as well as avoiding licence suspensions and disqualifications.
"The message is simple, it's just not worth risking a criminal record for a drink at a pub during schoolies week," Ms Bailey said.