Published: July 10, 2009 10:17 pm         

Official says BMV taking steps to stem ID theft

TERRE HAUTE — Renewing or getting a new Indiana driver’s license next year will require bringing a handful of documents on your visit to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

BMV Commissioner Andy Miller said the one-time requirement is part of an effort to stem identity theft by complying with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations and federal law.

“Your driver’s license today is so much more than what it used to be. It really is our gateway to prove identity in so many different places,” Miller said, in a stopover Friday at Terre Haute International Airport-Hulman Field. “It is your fundamental proof that you are who you say you are. It’s the nationally recognized form of identification.

“A driver’s license is used to cash a check, to rent an apartment, to open a credit card account and is used to get on an airplane,” Miller said.

Miller was traveling statewide to discuss new document requirements for a “Secure ID” that will start Jan. 1, 2010. Four categories of personal information will require separate documentation.

“All folks coming in for a new or renewed driver’s license or ID card will need to provide documentation of their identity, lawful status, residency and Social Security,” Miller said.

Documents that can be used to get a license or state ID include birth certificates or passports, Social Security cards, W2 tax forms, bank statements, utility bills or Medicaid or Medicare benefit statements

A complete list of acceptable documents is on the BMV’s Web site at myBMV.IN.gov. There is also a link to vital record offices in other states where certified birth certificates may be obtained.

One other change is new or renewed licenses and ID cards will be mailed to the person. That gives the state time review the documentation, and to use facial recognition technology to ensure the identity of someone seeking the license/ID card.

“Using a central issuance mail procedure is the same method that we [use to] get passports and credit cards,” Miller said.

People renewing a driver’s license will receive a 14-day extension on their existing driver’s license. If a person is applying for a new driver’s license, he or she will receive a certificate that is valid for driving only. That certificate cannot be used for identification, such as opening a bank account, Miller said.

Documentation is a one-time requirement, so if a “Secure ID” state driver’s license or ID card is lost, the extra documentation will not be required again, Miller said.

There are more than 5.5 million active driver’s licenses and ID cards in Indiana, Miller said. More than a million of those are renewed or updated each year. A driver’s license for people age 18 to 74 is renewed every six years.

The new security measures are a way to combat identify fraud, one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation, Miller said.

“About 11 percent of the time there is a conflict, which most are resolved. About one percent of the time, we end up with a fraud investigation. That is a big number, as just this year we had about 1,100 cases of fraud,” Miller said.

In addition, Miller said the 9/11 Commission “has told us repeatedly that one of the major keys to the 9/11 terrorists was identity theft. All but one of those [terrrorists] had some form of a fraudulently issued identification card.”

Indiana’s new Secure ID licenses will contain some small changes, including a star in the upper right corner. By 2017, all driver’s licenses in the United States will have a star on the front of the license, Miller said.

“That symbol will be required on the driver’s license to board a plane or enter a federal building,” he said.

Miller said while the Indiana BMV’s overall task remains to ensure that people meet requirements to drive, the agency must first verify identity. “If you think about it, BMV’s role today is very similar to the U.S. Passport Agency,” Miller said. “We hope that customers begin to recognize that coming to the license branch and getting one of these is their first step in guarding their identity … and that someone else isn’t trying to rip them off.”

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.