The Ohio Department of Public Safety issued a warning about a nationwide identity theft scheme involving Bureau of Motor Vehicles accounts.
The scheme, first identified in Texas earlier this year, involves the use of stolen personal information to answer online BMV security questions and gain access to accounts. Once inside the accounts, the thieves request a driver's license or ID card reprint to be mailed to a new address.
“This scheme is incredibly concerning, not only because criminals are ordering up legitimate driver's licenses but because they can use these cards and the stolen personal information to potentially access your bank account," said Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson. “If you receive a postcard from the Ohio BMV telling you about an address change that you did not request, it's important that you immediately take action."
In Texas, thousands of unauthorized replacement driver's licenses were sent out using stolen personal information in Texas. In Ohio, the BMV discovered 90 instances where stolen information was used to obtain or attempt to obtain a driver's license reprint.
Investigators do not know where the thieves got the victim's personal information to access those accounts, but all impacted Ohioans have been contacted by the BMV. It's also important to note that no State of Ohio Systems were breached.
The Ohio BMV has reported the fraud to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and has devoted additional resources to monitor for patterns associated with this criminal activity.
While unlikely that fraudulent driver licenses in Ohio will be mailed, if you receive a postcard from the BMV notifying you of online profile changes (address, etc.) that you did not request:
At Wright-Patt Credit Union, we are looking out for you. If you have additional questions about the latest scams, need cyber safety tips on what you can do protect yourself or want to know what we're doing to keep your accounts secure, visit our fraud resource pages at www.WPCU.coop/StopFraud.