Maryland battles driver's license fraud

BALTIMORE, March 28 (UPI) -- Maryland officials say the state's policy of not checking the immigration status of drivers when they apply for a license is creating a wave of fraud.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Maryland's policy has made the state vulnerable to abuse by identity thieves and illegal immigrants living outside the state who use mail drops as their residential address.

The newspaper said New Mexico, Hawaii and Washington state have similar policies.

To comply with a federal law known as Real ID, states must show this year that legal residents have access to a secure, nationally recognized license.

"This is not about immigration policy," said Maryland's motor vehicle administrator, John Kuo. "It's about the security of our identification card."

The newspaper noted that Maryland's license is considered so insecure that some states, including Colorado, Arizona and Oklahoma, no longer accept it as a proof of identity for relocating drivers.

Officials said they successfully prosecuted 250 cases of residency fraud in 2008. Maryland officials say they canceled an additional 246 licenses it says were fraudulently obtained the year before.