Funding sought for more security at DMV

Friday, March 25, 2005 | 10:02 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The unsolved break-in at the North Las Vegas office of the Department of Motor Vehicles apparently has convinced the agency's officials that they need surveillance cameras inside and outside all DMV offices.

The March 7 theft of blank driver's licenses, equipment to make bogus licenses and all the information needed to steal identities of 8,738 people is also already costing taxpayers thousands of extra dollars.

Ginny Lewis, director of the department, told the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security on Thursday that she has signed a $13,000 contract with a firm to put "fraud alerts" at the major credit bureaus on the records of the victims.

The committee agreed to support Lewis in her request when she goes before the budget committees seeking $400,000 for the cameras. In addition, she said plans are being examined to create barriers to prevent a reoccurrence of a vehicle smashing into a building. This could include boulders or concrete planters.

Lewis said a "risk assessment" is needed for each office and she will consult with the Secret Service regarding what can be done to make all of the offices more secure.

The committee also suggested that Lewis hire someone to help those who may be the victim of identity theft.

Lewis told the committee that she has contracted with TransUnion of Fullerton, Calif., giving it encrypted driver's license information. TransUnion will then get the major credit card companies to post a "fraud alert" on the record of the individuals.

Lewis said outside the hearing that the fraud alert would help prevent the thieves from running up big bills on the accounts of the victims.

Paul Masto, special agent with the Secret Service, said his agency has some "good leads" toward finding the thieves and he "hopes to roll it up" before any of the stolen information is used for identity theft.

He did not elaborate on the "good leads."

Masto said there was "no indication of terrorist" involvement in the theft, which was facilitated by driving a vehicle through a large glass wall of the office.

Masto called it a "low-tech" crime and his initial reaction was that it was an attempt to get good-quality driver's licenses to counterfeit and sell. But, he said, the thieves may have actually been more interested in getting the computer information on drivers to use in identity theft.

He noted that Nevada has the second-worst identity theft problem in the nation after Arizona. California ranks third worst on the list.

Lewis said the DMV had been conscientious about trying to protect the personal data of motorists. The information on the computer was supposed to be cleared every night at midnight and shifted into the main computer of the state, she said. But the records on the hard drive in the North Las Vegas office dated back to November.

The state had a contract with a company called Digimarc to handle the computer chores. She said she understood Digimarc of Beaverton, Ore., was to clear the computer every night, but it wasn't done.

Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las North Las Vegas, said this was a "serious breach" and "there should be some consequences."

Lewis said outside the hearing that research showed the nightly clearance of the computer was not written into the contract. She suggested this was a "miscommunication."

Horsford also suggested state and local officials should not just focus on credit reports but should take additional steps to ensure that bank accounts and other items could not be used by the thieves.

Masto agreed with Horsford but said the victims have to "take responsibility for their own credit history." He said they should be closely checking their bills every month.

Lewis said that duplicate driver's licenses have been mailed out to the victims. And all but about 100 have been issued. She said there were "extenuating circumstances" with the 100 individuals and they may have to come into the office to get their new licenses. She did not explain.