01-05-2025
Beware: Scammers targeting personal info online as REAL ID deadline approaches
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Scammers are working to steal personal information online as drivers search for information to get their REAL ID before the May 7 deadline.
If you don't have a state-issued REAL ID by then, you won't be able to board commercial flights or enter certain federal buildings.
As REAL ID deadline looms, here's what happens if you don't have one
With the deadline looming, scammers in other states are targeting people's personal information.
'There are potentially fake websites out there that are trying to collect your personal and identifiable information and then use that in other scams,' said Pam Anson, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Cleveland.
Anson said scammers are looking for Social Security numbers, birthdates and other sensitive information — details that should not be shared online.
'Scammers will use that personally identifiable information that they can get from your birth certificate or your Social Security number to do things like open a credit card in your name or maybe file a medical claim in your name,' she said.
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Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Registrar Charlie Norman said those seeking a Real ID need to know it cannot be obtained online.
'Real ID, per federal requirements, has to be done in person,' Norman said. 'So, if someone's asking you for your information to do a REAL ID transaction online in Ohio, that's probably not coming from the Ohio BMV.'
With the deadline approaching, the Ohio BMV said local branches will likely be busier.
'We have added some extended weekend hours last weekend and then this Saturday as well in the lead-up to that deadline,' Norman said.
He also encourages residents to use the Ohio BMV website to get in line online and save time. However, he reminds people to keep their personal information private and watch for red flags.
'The BMV won't contact you for any documentation or ask you to send any documentation or information about yourself — be it via phone call or an email,' he said.
The May 7 deadline is not the last day to get a Real ID. It is simply when federal agencies, such as the TSA, will begin enforcing the ID requirement.
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