Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Authorities warn of consequences of DMV break-in

If criminals fashion IDs that look genuine, considerable damage could occur, police say

Fake identification such as those spread out Tuesday before Las Vegas police Lt. Steve Franks, right, and Detective D.C. Toney can destroy the lives of unsuspecting victims. Franks says the break-in at a DMV office is a cause of concern. Photo by Clint Karlsen.

Las Vegas police Lt. Steve Franks fears the theft of 1,700 blank Nevada driver's licenses could ruin the financial lives of many Southern Nevadans.

"Everybody counts on the validity of government-issued IDs," Franks said Tuesday. "There's going to be a lot of damage done with this."

With identity theft running rampant in the Las Vegas Valley, Franks fears that personal information pilfered from elsewhere could be mated to the blanks, creating an ID card that is virtually indistinguishable from a real one.

Those illegally minted IDs could be used to open bank accounts and raid existing bank accounts, cash checks, open lines of credit, rent cars, buy plane tickets and pass through security checkpoints, all under an oblivious victim's name.

The consequences to victims could be everything from drained checking accounts and wrecked credit ratings to arrests on warrants for crimes committed by the identity thief.

"If I can get information on your date of birth, Social Security number, I put everything to match you (on an ID), but with my face," said Franks, part of the Las Vegas police financial crimes bureau.

The blank licenses, along with an equal number of laminated covers with state seals, a digital license camera, a desktop computer and a license printer were taken Monday after thieves rammed a truck into a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles bureau at 4110 Donovan Way in North Las Vegas.

DMV officials initially said the equipment would largely be useless to criminals because much of it won't work unless connected to the department's mainframe computer in Carson City.

That means the personal information of licensed drivers should be safe. However, officials concede the camera and printer could be configured to churn out IDs that appear genuine.

"Sure, it's possible," said Kevin Malone, a DMV spokesman. "The equipment is readily available, though the cards and laminates are not. Even if they do make driver's licenses out of them, it will still be a fake ID with no record to back it up."

But few businesses and government agencies actually check the record behind an ID, according to Franks. And identity theft is no idle threat in Nevada, which ranks second nationally for identity thefts per capita.

About 5,000 Las Vegans are victimized each year by identity thieves, who break into businesses to steal client information, pilfer checks and deposit slips, and look for receipts and bank statements by rummaging through trash or breaking into mailboxes.

Franks attributes the crime's popularity here to the quick turnover of residents, the constant influx of tourists and the massive flow of money through the valley; a tempting threesome for crooks seeking opportunity.

"When you have 34 million visitors and the amount of money that's being spent here, it's an absolute gold mine for criminals," he said.

A quality false driver's license is invaluable in furthering such crimes because the cards have become the ubiquitous trusted ID of choice in the private and public sectors.

On the black market, such IDs can cost $250 to $500 apiece, according to Franks.

Identity thieves could use the ID in concert with stolen or forged bank documents to cash bad checks or make withdrawals from accounts, or to offer a believable alias when arrested, allowing them to skip bail with the consequences falling on an unsuspecting ID theft victim.

"That's the insidiousness of ID theft," Franks said. "It'll all get cleared up eventually, but will it be after you spend a week in jail?"

A thief can trade in a fake license for a real one in another state with a reciprocal exchange program, if thorough background checks are not done, Franks said.

Likewise, police wouldn't be able to detect an ill-gotten ID unless a driver's record is closely scrutinized for inconsistencies that could reveal a stolen identity.

For example, an identity thief who is a white male and 6 feet tall might have put their photo, height and weight on a license printed in the name of a Hispanic male who is 5 feet tall, and whose real DMV records indicate such.

"Sex and race, a lot of times people don't look at those categories," Franks said.

Because identity theft is so hard to detect, the typical victim doesn't know their identity has been compromised until three years after the fact, Franks said.

Malone said the DMV is looking at upgrading security at its bureaus around the state, but he declined to get into specifics.

"We are taking a few steps I'd rather not disclose," he said. "We're not telling the bad guys what we're doing. We're tightening it up a little bit."