GAO Says State Motor Vehicle Departments Are Vulnerable to Threats

The continued vulnerability of state motor vehicle departments to fraudulent applications for driver’s licenses is causing an ongoing national security threat, according to the General Accounting Office. The GAO found in a nearly yearlong undercover operation that in close to half the states, motor vehicle employees relied solely on a visual inspection of documents to verify an applicant’s identity. According to the report, counterfeit documents were not confiscated and the applicants were not referred to law enforcement officials. The report was commissioned by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who held a hearing last month on the ability of terrorists to thwart homeland security efforts using falsely obtained or fraudulent Social Security Numbers, driver’s licenses, and other forms of identity theft.

Spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Anne Atkins, said the loopholes were closed and security was tightened soon after the GAO had successfully obtained licenses with fraudulent materials. She said states struggle with the problem of different identification systems and standards in different states. Atkins also noted that the Virginia DMV would like the federal government’s assistance with training and funding to work through the problems of establishing identify.

MAF Background Screening can assist in verifying an applicants identity with the product
ID Verification. As the above article references, the driver’s license may not be an accurate form of applicant identification.

Please contact customer service at 800-226-4483 for more information on ID Verification."