Why Criminals Want Your Driver’s License

“There’s a market for drivers’ licenses,” explains Steve Baker, a former Federal Trade Commission official who now publishes the Baker Fraud Report, a newsletter. He notes that identity thieves buy driver’s licenses or their data on the dark web and combine their information with other types of stolen data to apply for credit cards or loans.

They can also use the data to create fake physical licenses that impressively mimic real ones, notes Velasquez. “The fakes are so good that the data is even scannable on the magnetic strip,” she says.

How criminals steal driver’s licenses and their data

Thieves don’t just steal purses or wallets to get driver’s licenses. In Houston, when LaNishia Moore-Munoz’s new license didn’t arrive in the mail, she initially assumed that the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles was backed up. She didn’t realize that a scammer apparently had grabbed the license out of her home’s mailbox.

But Moore-Munoz, who, like Gray, is a teacher in her 40s, eventually found out that something was wrong when county officials sent her notices of toll violations involving a car with license plates that she didn’t recognize.

Moore-Munoz says that an imposter with her license bought a BMW and obtained insurance in her name. The person also rented a U-Haul truck and didn’t return it, resulting in a $753 bill. And when Moore-Munoz tried to sign up to be an Uber Eats driver to make some extra cash, she discovered that someone already was driving for the company under her name. The criminal even used her identity to rent an apartment and sign up for utilities, she says.

Scammers also can get driver’s license information by posing as employers and getting targets to fill out online job applications that ask for the number, as well as other personal data, according to Velasquez. Or they’ll pose as officials from banks or state motor vehicle agencies and request the information, she says.

In recent years, an even more efficient method for stealing drivers’ license info has emerged. Hackers break into company and government computer systems and steal vast numbers of licenses in one fell swoop.

“Hackers are looking for a way that they can get the most amount of data for the least amount of work,” explains Michael Bruemmer, head of the data breach resolution team for credit bureau Experian.

What you can do to protect yourself

Privacy and anti-fraud experts recommend these measures to guard against driver’s license scammers.

• Show your license, but don’t take it out.  “I just never take my license out of my wallet,” Bruemmer says. He suggests using a wallet whose pouch has a clear window so he can quickly flash it at a wine bar or somewhere else where he has to verify his age and identity. If he has to take it out of his wallet, he adds, “I never let it out of my sight.”
• Don’t let anyone take a picture of your driver’s license.  When doctors’ offices and others want a picture of your license, Experian’s Bruemmer says, they’re more interested in assuring payment than verifying your identity. He sees the risk as too high and suggests instead offering to provide a copy of your utility bill.
• Don’t give out your driver’s license number to someone who calls out of the blue. “If you didn’t initiate the contact, don’t give out your data,” Velasquez advises.
• If someone does manage to steal your driver’s license or information, report it. Bruemmer says it’s crucial to immediately report the theft to begin a paper trail showing that you’ve had the document stolen. Similarly, if your license is used in a crime, you’ll want to get the report on the incident. Bruemmer also suggests filing a report with the FTC; having ample evidence of identity theft may make it easier to convince state motor vehicle officials to issue a license with a new number.
• If you’ve had your information stolen in a data breach, go to the state agency’s website and follow what instructions the agency provides. “They’ll give you a step-by-step list of things to do,” Bruemmer says.  

Useful resources

If your driver’s license has been stolen, contact your state’s motor vehicle agency; this federal government portal will take you to the state agency’s website.

Get online assistance from the Identity Theft Resource Center or call 888-400-5530 to talk to an advisor.

Report identity theft to the Federal Trace Commissions IdentityTheft.gov website, which also offers personalized plans and online coaching for recovering from identity theft.