Can someone get an auto insurance policy in my name?

Someone I used to be friends with has a picture of my driver's license on their phone. It's a long story but I'm worried they might use it to get car insurance in my name without me knowing. Is that even possible, and how would I find out if they did?

Unfortunately, yes, someone with a copy of your driver's license could potentially try to use your information to get car insurance. It's a form of identity theft, and it does happen.

The good news is there are a few ways to check. You can request a CLUE report (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange), which is basically a history of insurance activity tied to your name. It's free once a year and can show if any policies or claims have been filed under your information that you don't recognize. Your state DMV can also pull up your driving record, which might show activity you weren't aware of.

If you find something that doesn't look right, report it to your state's Department of Insurance and consider filing a police report. You may also want to place a fraud alert on your credit (and/or freeze your credit so no one can run it) since someone using your ID for insurance could be doing other things with it too.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It's a great reminder to be careful about who has access to your personal information. If someone has a photo of your license on their phone, you can't exactly undo that, but you can keep an eye on your records and act quickly if something seems off. If you're unsure where to start, Washington's insurance commissioner's office is a good resource for reporting suspected fraud. I hope this helps!