## Don’t: 

• lend your licence to anyone else 

• ever use a licence that isn’t valid 

• alter your licence in any way. 

## Identity theft and driver licence fraud 

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in North America. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge or consent to commit a crime, such as fraud or theft. Victims of identity theft suffer financial losses, a poor credit rating and a damaged reputation. 

A driver’s licence has become a universally accepted and trusted form of identification. If your driver’s licence is stolen, obtained fraudulently, scanned or faked, it can be used as a tool for committing crime. 

You can’t entirely control whether you become a victim of identity theft, but you can take steps to minimize your risk. 

## Protecting you from fraud 

There’s a tough penalty to help protect you from people who commit driver’s licence and identification card fraud. People who commit these offences now face fines of between $400 and $20,000, up to six months in prison, or both. Offences covered by the law include: 

• Make false or misleading statements, failing to disclose required information, presenting fraudulent records or fraudulently using records to obtain or in attempting to obtain a driver’s licence or identification card. 

• Assisting someone to fraudulently obtain or attempt to obtain a driver’s licence or identification card in the ways mentioned above. 

• Using or possessing a driver’s licence or identification card that belongs to someone else. 

• Allowing someone else to use or possess your driver’s licence or identification card. 

• Using or possessing a fictitious or invalid driver’s licence or identification card. 

• Altering a driver’s licence or identification card. 

