Get your driver license and take a proud selfie? MVD says be safe

PHOENIX – It’s one of the oldest rites of passage mixed in with a more modern twist: a newly-minted teenage driver showing off his or her new learner’s permit or license while taking a selfie in front of an MVD office. 

But the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division wants to remind people to keep that moment hidden from potential ID thieves.

“Taking a selfie while showing your learner’s permit or driver license is a fun and popular way for new drivers to celebrate this milestone, but people do need to be careful about personal information that may be seen on those selfies,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser-Richards.

“Because the MVD is very conscious about protecting our customers’ personal information, we’ve set up “Safe Selfie” areas outside some of the largest and busiest MVD offices in Arizona,” she added. “We’re encouraging teens and parents to take the photo there and to make sure any personal information on the credential can’t be seen because once it gets on the internet it could be targeted by ID thieves.  Of course, no matter where you take the photo, it’s wise to keep private information concealed.”

The Safe Selfie area has a large poster showing an Arizona landscape with a highway sign that reads “New Driver” with a reminder to cover any personal identifying information such as name, address and license or permit number, all of which can be exploited by ID thieves.

Bowser-Richards added, “We want our newest customers to have fun with this moment and not have it ruined by ID theft. We view these Safe Selfie spaces are benefit to all of our customers.”