How the DMV is Working to Combat Identity Theft

We have all had the unpleasant time of having to wait at the Department of Motor Vehicles for long periods of time trying to get our car registered or get an identification card or a drivers license. This can be time consuming and jut down right boring. If you are one of the people who haven’t had to experience this well consider yourself lucky. Even though the wait at the Department of Motor Vehicles can be excruciating it can offer some sort of benefit. One of the benefits being that you will have your business taken care of and won’t have to worry bout being pulled over by the police and paying the costly fines. However there is another cost that you will cover while waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles and this one will make it well worth the wait.

Everyday a lot of people become victims of identity theft. This is where someone gets a hold of your personal information such as your social security number and uses it for their benefit. They will go out and purchase all types of things in your name without you even knowing. This can rack up bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The unfortunate part is that you are left to foot the bill. That’s why it is better to take precautions early on so that you don’t become the next victim. Precautions also allow you to detect if your identity is being used early on in the process so that you can stop it before it gets too big to handle. This is where the Department of Motor Vehicles comes in.

It used to be where you were required, in some states, to have your social security number on your driver’s license. This is very dangerous in a time where identity theft is at its peak. Your social security number gets you access into a lot of your personal information and if someone gets a hold of this information they can easily steal your identity. This is where the new law comes into effect. Congress passed a law called the Terrorism Prevention Act. A part of these laws prevents federal, state and local governments from putting social security numbers on public information. This includes driver’s licenses.

The Department of Motor Vehicles are taking every measure to ensure that this law is followed and you are protected from identity theft. This is in part one of the reasons the wait is so long at the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, this is a time where your patience will have to come into play for the benefit of what will happen in the future. It is better if you wait patiently and get the safer driver’s license rather than not wanting to wait and running the risk of having your social security number fall into the hands of a person with ill intentions. It is costly to get yourself out of the problems an identity theft can put you in.