Md. drivers’ licenses, ID cards get anti-fraud makeover

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland drivers will have to wait a little longer to get their new licenses under a statewide program aimed at thwarting fraud with high-tech updates.

Nearly 5 million drivers and others who use identification cards issued by the state Motor Vehicle Administration will have to wait seven to 10 businesses days to have their new cards mailed to them from a high-tech and highly secure center. The changes are all part of an effort to make it harder to alter or even create fraudulent Maryland identification cards that can then be used for a number of illegal activities, including identification theft.

“It was just a driver’s license, but now it is the identification of choice,” said Christine E. Nizer, who leads the state Motor Vehicle Administration.

Under the program, which will begin rolling out June 20, the new licenses will feature a number of security measures: a tamper-resistant polycarbonate card body; laser engraving that will also feature raised tactile text; and a laser-engraved image that changes based on the viewing angle.

The new cards feature new symbols, including the blue crab, the Baltimore Oriole bird, the Maryland State House and a state flag design. Veterans will also have a special designation on the front of the card.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn said the new cards will also feature several secret security measures that will allow police to quickly determine if a license is fake or not.

This update is the first for the state license since 2003.

“People were still using fax machines and pagers in 2003,” Rahn said. “That’s how old our technology was.”

The transportation secretary said the design is now easily forged, making it easier for criminals to obtain a legal document that could then be used to open bank accounts, credit card accounts and to engage in other types of identity theft. To make his point, Rahn poured out a large jar containing hundreds of fake licenses onto a table. The licenses were all confiscated by one Howard County police officer.

Rahn said the new cards “are the most secure driver’s licenses in the nation today.”

Beginning June 20, the state will begin issuing the new licenses for all new learner’s permits and ID cards and licenses and for ID cards renewed online at an agency kiosk or by mail. Holders will be asked to retain the expired license along with a copy of a receipt showing the card was renewed that can be used as identification at airports or as proof of licensure during a traffic stop, said Nizer.

The cards will be mailed from a high-security facility operated by the agency. Rahn said the changes in how the licenses are delivered will increase security for license holders and also make counterfeiting more difficult because it will limit access to the personal information and the materials and equipment used to make the cards.

For those who want the new license but have cards that don’t expire for a while, the state will issue duplicate licenses and identification cards for $20 starting in July. Those cards can be purchased online without going into an MVA office.