Driver's License Security & the REAL ID Act

Driver's license fraud is a crime that can have significant financial and domestic security consequences. Because drivers' licenses have become a widely accepted form of identification, identity thieves may try to obtain a license under someone else's name - with forged or stolen Social Security cards or other documents--and use it to commit financial fraud. By one estimate, in 2010 over 8 million Americans were victims of identity theft and such crimes cost victims a total of $37 billion. In 2005, after the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommended enhanced security for licenses, Congress passed the REAL ID Act of 2005, which, sets minimum national standards for drivers' license security. This book examines the REAL ID Act to prevent driver's license security fraud with a focus on procedures for states to follow when verifying the identity of license applicants; and how effective these procedures have been.