BMV sends letters to Ohioans to prevent ID theft

by Yosuke Takanashi
For The Post

In cooperation with the Social Security Administration, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to verify Ohioans' social security numbers to protect them against identity theft.

Of the state's nine million driver's license or identity card holders, the BMV will send letters to approximately 351,000 Ohioans - or 3.9 percent - whose social security numbers do not match records on file with the SSA, said Julie Stebbins, spokesperson for the Ohio BMV.

In most cases, discrepancies are results of legal changes of names and misspellings or misprints of birthdays, Stebbins said.

"The BMV wants to protect our citizens against identity fraud or crime against person's identity," she said. "The best way to do that, in our eyes, is to verify social security numbers with the Social Security Administration."

If an Athens resident receives a letter, he or she has to go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles Deputy Registrar, 749 E. State St., with documentation proving his or her correct name and birthday, she said.

"If you don't receive the letter by the first or second week of October, you are fine," Stebbins said. "Some (letters) were sent last week. We are going to hold the rest of them for a while."

But he or she does not need to go to the BMV immediately after receiving the letter. A person can wait to verify his or her information until his or her license expires, Stebbins said.

There are various ways people can steal someone's identity, said Stephanie Beougher, spokeswoman for the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

"Basically if someone has a social security number, he can take your identity and set it up for themselves," Beougher said. "They can apply for a credit card. They can open up all kinds of problems for you."

But, she said it is impossible to completely protect yourself against identity theft.

"If your identity is stolen, one of first things you want to do is not only contact your creditors but also contact local law enforcement to report it," Beougher said.

She also said people should be aware of the problem before it happens.

"One of the best ways to combat identity theft is to educate yourself about how these criminals are getting that information and how you can prevent them from getting your information," Beougher said.

Verizon Communications has an inspecting process for victimized customers of identity theft.

"If a customer ever experiences the theft of identity, he needs to call the customer contact center to explain what happened and to ask for an assistance," said Mike Berry, media relations manager of Verizon.

In the case of identity theft, he or she must go through an investigation process to open an account.

He or she fills out a form and sends Verizon any information the company needs, such as a copy of his or her driver license and a police report, Berry said.