Turn over your driver's license

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

user 26

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
5,765
Reaction score
97
file this under Paranoia or Better safe than sorry ... take your pick
i went and did some errands and as i was paying for some things, a woman beside me said 'Oh, you live on the same street I do!' i was surprised, expected her to say she lived at #2 xyz street but instead she pointed to my hands. looking down at my hand, wallet open, there is my license with picture, name and address in plain view in the little see-thru pocket for the license or ID while i waited for my change. i was shocked. first that she could read that little print from beside me and second that she DID read my license.
i think she was harmless and trying to be friendly but it brought me up short. it never occurred to me that someone in line beside you could be reading your license to see where you live .... so i have flipped it over to the reverse side.
it's been bothering me for a few hours now. the idea of someone reading your license, your daughter's license, your elderly parent's license ... finding out their name and address and maybe going to their house.
i just felt the need to share. it never crossed my mind.
 
This ties in with another thing that drives me mad. In the UK we have chip and pin and this is suposed to be a se cret ie don't write it on a bit of paper and put it in your wallet! people are sooo casual with their cards ie "here is my card just sort it out and bring me it back. As someone who has worked with card machines for many years I know how easy it is to do fraud dont let them out of your sight! Other things are people who read them out loud off the bit of paper so not only do I have your card no I also have your pin and can steal your wallet and have a spree. I dispare sometimes. I think part of the problem is people don't understand that you don't have to have the pin to get money out so it gives them a false sense of security.
 
Of course, most people's name and address have always been right there in the public phone book, though the switch to cell phones is changing that some.
But yes I realize that it hits a bit closer to home when strangers can also know what you look like and where you shop.
I don't like those see-through pockets in wallets. I'm not likely to hand someone my whole wallet so they can see through the window. If I'm asked to show my ID, they want to hold the ID in their hands so make sure it's real and not just a copy on paper. I always take it out and hand it to them, so no need for the window.
 
i haven't had a personal listing in a phone book for more than 30 years ... as a single mom, i paid to be 'unlisted' ... i don't know how it works today. my adult kids don't even have landlines. they use cell and computer connections.
i was thinking mainly of young women and those who may be physically vulnerable ... with their address in plain sight without even thinking of it.
i agree there is no need for the 'window' in the wallet. and the only time i was pulled over while driving, i was asked to remove my license from my wallet.
 
SS, I had never thought of that but it is true... people see a lot more than we ever would think! I have heard so many sneaky ways that pin codes are stolen while in checkout lines, it seems that no matter how well you think you have covered your actions, there is a way for the thief to capture it.
And on the slimmy issue, I have heard of people putting mirrors or lipstick cameras on their shoes to be able to see up girls dresses while in lines.
If there is a will, there is a way.... We all need to open our eyes and watch. Thanks for posting this, I have just turned my DL over.
What ever happened to the days where we left our windows open and doors unlocked and never gave it a second thought.
 
May I add something else?
Anyone with a cell phone camera can take a photo of your information, so be extra cautious for that! Not just drivers license, but checking account with routing, address and for the silly people who put their ss# on their checks, it can be contained all in one photo. Everyone is on a cell phone at the check out right? You wouldn't even notice.
 
you are right, jb. like i said, i don't want to be paranoid but we do have to notice what's happening around us. i see people with their cell phone/i phone/camera phones clamped to their head or being held out in front of them all the time. who knows what they're doing? at first i'd notice, now i hardly think about it.
by the way, has anyone actually SEEN a google map camera car driving around? they go up and down all the streets, with that camera mounted like three feet high on the hood, and i don't know anyone who's see one. is it because the thing is black and seems to be a bike mount or something when you spot it in traffic? weird. http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/behind-the-scenes.html#vehicles
 
you are right, jb. like i said, i don't want to be paranoid but we do have to notice what's happening around us. i see people with their cell phone/i phone/camera phones clamped to their head or being held out in front of them all the time. who knows what they're doing? at first i'd notice, now i hardly think about it.
by the way, has anyone actually SEEN a google map camera car driving around? they go up and down all the streets, with that camera mounted like three feet high on the hood, and i don't know anyone who's see one. is it because the thing is black and seems to be a bike mount or something when you spot it in traffic? weird. http://maps.google.com/help/maps/streetview/behind-the-scenes.html#vehicles.
seashanty said:
by the way, has anyone actually SEEN a google map camera car driving around?
I haven't, but my DH saw one drive up our (old, where we used to live) road. I couldn't believe it. I felt like I missed seeing Snuffalupugus.
 
hahahaha ... exactly ! he was always around, and enormous, but no one saw him for the longest time! (except big bird)
 
No honest cop will EVER touch your wallet! They always wnt to have the license handed to them - too many slimebuckets who would say the cop took a bribe. My daughter hears the name it and it is yours all the time. She asked them how stupid she looks - "like I am going to trust scumbags and risk my carreer " pension?"
 
I always turn my license over, so I don't have to look at the picture. Ugh.
 
Back
Top