LAKE FOREST, Ill., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation today reported that an electronic device used to scan driver's license numbers to validate if customers are of legal drinking age was stolen recently from the Brunswick Zone in Naperville.
In Illinois, for example, retailers use such a device to read the driver's license number, date of birth and the holder's first and last names. Scanning allows retailers to verify age for alcohol or tobacco purchases. The device reads a license's bar code or magnetic strip, which the majority of states now offer, and quickly validates the license.
"We believe that it would be difficult to compromise the unit," explained Don MacBrayne, regional operations director for Brunswick. "We also are changing procedures and looking into further measures to prevent any recurrence of such a matter in the future as well as fulfilling our obligation by being prudent and alerting our customers."
"If the software shows that a license is not valid, it means either that number does not exist or the owner is not of legal age to drink," MacBrayne explained. He added that Brunswick normally checks the identification of anyone who claims to be 30 years of age or less who wants to buy an alcoholic beverage.
"Brunswick performs age validation to not only follow the law, but also to help protect its customers, their families and communities from concerns or accidents which could result from underage drinking," he said.
The device can hold information of up to 700 verifications at any one time. The company believes that the information included in the stolen device would include information on anyone whose driver's license was scanned at the Naperville location between March 20 and 29 only.
If you believe you may have been one of those whose license was scanned during that period, you may check with the Illinois Secretary of State at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/ to learn if such information could be used for other purposes other than identification and age verification.
About Brunswick Bowling & Billiards
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation has been a leader in the recreation business for more than 160 years. Founded in 1845 to make billiards tables, Brunswick Corporation is a Fortune 500 company and the leader in bringing Genuine Ingenuity(TM) to everything it makes. Brunswick Bowling & Billiards, one of the largest operators of full-service bowling and family recreation centers in North America, is a full-line supplier of bowling equipment, supplies and consumer products, and designs billiards tables and accessories. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.brunswickbowling.com/.
Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation
