1. Driver's License Swipe Machine

Jan 22, 2011  Can a driver license swipe. Driver License MSR Swipe to retrive a returning customer. USA Drivers Licenses provide data on all 3 tracks. Passport is considered a higher form of ID than a driver's license. As for the scanning, there are a lot of reasons its done. Data mining certainly could be one of them.

When Elisabeth Hall visited a doctor earlier this year, the office manager wanted to make a copy of her driver's license. 'I willingly showed him my driver's license but asked him to not make a copy,' Hall said. 'I explained that by viewing it, he could confirm my identity from the picture, but I didn't want a copy of my license made a part of their office records. It contains info which can be used for identity theft and they don't need it.' The manager insisted. Hall stuck to her guns, and asked to speak to the doctor. But the doctor refused to come out, and the manager said Hall wouldn't be treated unless they made a copy of her license.

Hall left and found a different doctor. Hall's husband Kenneth thought she made a smart choice. 'In the case of seniors like me, the doctor already has the Social Security number as it appears on the Medicare card, but they demand the driver's license as well?' Kenneth Hall said. 'They have a right to view it to be sure the picture matches the presenter, but banks and doctors regularly insist on making a 'Xerox' copy.'

Driver's License Swipe Machine

QUIZ: Indeed, driver's licenses have personal information that could be used for nefarious purposes if the info falls into the wrong hands. And if a paper copy isn't bad enough, some businesses purchase scanners that allow the user to swipe a license, giving the swiper a digital record of your personal information. One of the many apps for sale that can scan driver's license bar codes.

IPhone App Store Anyone can buy these scanners. And anyone with a smart phone can download an app that can perform the same scan.

So exactly what can be found on your license's two bar codes? 'The information that appears on the front of the document is on the bar code to allow law enforcement to verify the license quickly and accurately,' MVC spokeswoman Mairin Bellack said in an email. That would mean your name, address, height, weight, birth date, license number and signature.

We asked about the second bar code — the vertical one on the back of your license — but MVC wouldn't only say it's for 'internal MVC inventory control use.' S driver's license is a secure document with many security features,' Bellack said.

'The more information that is given out, the less secure the document becomes.' We asked MVC about the scanners. 'It is not realistic for the MVC to 'guess' what the technology of scanners that may be 'on the market' are capable of reading,' Bellack said. 'The MVC does not utilize license scanners and does not provide any type of assistance for their development.' 'It is no surprise that the MVC is being close-lipped on the data captured on the bar codes,' said Adam Levin, former head of the state's Division of Consumer Affairs and author of 'Swiped: What Identity Thieves Do--And How to Stop Them.' Leon schuster dvd.

'Even if the information is being used for internal purposes, consumers have a right to know.' To hopefully learn more, we submitted an Open Public Records Act for specifics about what's on the bar codes. We'll let you know what we learn. We then tried to get answers for another Bamboozled reader who had concerns about MVC's use of Social Security numbers.

Howard Fischer, a reader who wanted to know if there were consequences for not sharing a Social Security number when renewing a license or registration in New Jersey. Alexandra Pais/for NJ Advance Media 'License and registration renewals in New Jersey still require [a Social Security number],' reader Howard Fischer said. 'Why does the NJMVC need Social Security numbers? Can that entry be left blank without repercussions?' We asked MVC what happens if a Jersey driver refuses to provide a even if the Social Security number is already in the MVC system. Bellack said the submission of Social Security numbers is 'The number will be used to prevent errors, enforce federal and state laws and assist in the collection of motor vehicle fees,' the MVC spokeswoman said.