Georgia's licensing agency keeps a list on its website of things that are not driver's license fraud.
Fake IDs are on it. So are tickets written under someone else's identity.
That's an odd thing to read if your license number is the one printed on the fake. It's also useful, because it answers a question most people assume has a single answer.
When a fake ID carries your real number, whose problem is it?
The answer depends on the state, and the agencies don't agree.
Your Number Travels More Than You Think
Georgia's agency makes a point that's easy to miss: people hand their license numbers to many companies every day, so the DMV is most likely not where a compromise starts.
The biggest recent example involves one of those companies. On Sept. 1, journalist Brian Krebs reported that a dark web service called Nexus was selling scans of more than 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses, plus millions of other ID documents.
The FBI's New Orleans field office has opened an investigation. According to an Oct. 9 legal analysis, the hackers claim they pulled data for more than a year, and the number of available records grows daily. The 153 million figure comes from the sellers' own listing.
Get a Scannable Driver License That Scans
Who Investigates a Fake ID With Your Number?
It depends which DMV you ask.
Georgia's agency says it does not investigate fake ID allegations unless the complaint involves a DDS employee or DDS equipment.
It will help police work out whether a suspect card was actually issued by the agency, and it notes that making and using fake IDs are crimes, which puts the matter in law enforcement's hands.
California takes reports directly. Its fraud review form, INV 35, has a box for "misuse of personal information/driver license number," alongside boxes for tickets, accidents, and your DMV record.
The form carries a caveat worth reading before you count on it: not all reports are investigated.
What About Tickets You Never Earned?
Georgia's agency describes where that road can end: a conviction or suspension on your driving record for something you didn't do.
Most states belong to agreements that carry violations across state lines. Under the Driver License Compact, a state reports an out-of-state driver's conviction to the driver's home state, which generally treats it as if it happened at home, adding points where it has a point system.
A second agreement, the Nonresident Violator Compact, covers unpaid fines. A driver who doesn't pay an out-of-state fine can have a license suspended until it's resolved.
Fixing a bad ticket is a court job, not a DMV job. Georgia says its agency can't remove a fraudulent citation without authorization from the court that submitted the conviction.
You contact the court and prove you weren't the person cited, and the agency will give you the citation details and the court's contact information to get started.
To find out whether it's happening at all, Georgia suggests buying a copy of your driving record to look for tickets that aren't yours, the way you'd check a credit report.
Can You Get a New License Number?
In some states, yes, and the terms differ a lot.
Georgia's agency says customers can request a number change at a Customer Service Center, with normal licensing fees. It is also phasing out numbers built on Social Security numbers: customers who used theirs as the license number get a new one at their next renewal.
Colorado treats misuse as its own, stricter process. You apply in person with a notarized affidavit (Form DR 2153) and proof of identity, such as a passport or a prior license, and a bare police case number won't do. Its page warns that the change is irreversible and the old credential stops working immediately.
Florida changed the numbers for everyone. Since July 31, 2024, Florida license numbers must include at least four randomly generated digits, a change the state said is meant to improve security and safeguard identities.
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What a Number Alone Can Do
According to Norton's identity theft guidance, a license number on its own probably isn't enough to steal someone's identity, but paired with other personal details it can be.
That pairing is where the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov comes in, because it builds a step-by-step recovery plan for the credit side.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I send California's DMV with a fraud report?
Supporting documents such as credit or banking records, canceled checks, police reports, photos, or letters. The form says missing documents may delay a response, and reports go by email to dlfraud@dmv.ca.gov.
Do I have to travel to contest an out-of-state ticket?
Not always. Contesting usually means appearing in court several times, but some states let drivers contest by written declaration.
Who should I tell if my license number changes?
Share the new number with your car insurance agent, your bank, and other financial institutions that use it to identify you.
Do Floridians have to swap their numbers now?
Renewing or replacing a license brings the new number. Once it is issued, it changes again only if your last name changes.
What should I do with an old license when a replacement arrives?
Shred or destroy the old one, so thieves cannot take the information from it.
Final Thoughts
Finding your real driver's license number on a fake ID can feel like a strange mix of identity theft and paperwork. The agencies you would expect to help may send you somewhere else, and the fixes often run through courts, DMVs and financial institutions at the same time.
Start with the record that shows the damage, whether that is your driving record, your credit report or a bank statement, and work the problem from the evidence you can actually see. General information like this is not legal advice, so seek professional help if a specific case involves you.