Washington Drivers License - Lost or Stolen - Identity Theft

Identity crimes or fraud

What to do if...

Your driver license or ID card is misplaced, lost, or stolen

• Immediately get a replacement at your local driver licensing office.
• Unless fraudulent activity is detected within the Department of Licensing (DOL), we won’t place a flag, alert, or comment on your record, nor cancel or void your driver license or ID card.

Someone has been issued a Washington driver license or ID card using your name and date of birth

1. File a report with your local law enforcement agency.
2. Contact our Driver Special Investigations unit at the location shown below.
3. Immediately get a replacement driver license or ID card at your local driver licensing office.

Someone is issued a traffic ticket using your name or information

1. File a report with the local law enforcement agency that issued the ticket.
2. Contact the appropriate court and request an identification hearing to contest the ticket.
3. To protect your driver license privileges, you may also request that a comment be placed on your record at DOL. To request a comment, you must send all of the following to our Drivers Special Investigation unit at the location shown below:
   • A written, signed request for a comment to be placed on your record.
   • A copy of the police report or incident report stating details of the fraudulent activity and the name of the law enforcement agency.
   • A copy of the court document showing the reason for the dismissed ticket (for example; wrong person cited, identity theft victim).

Drivers Special Investigation unit

Drivers Special Investigations (DSI) is responsible for investigating internal and external criminal activity within the Driver Services Division of DOL. We cooperate with law enforcement, government agencies, stakeholders, and customers to minimize the impacts of identity theft, identity fraud, unethical conduct, and other criminal activity.

Contact information

• Email: fraud@dol.wa.gov
• Phone: (360) 902-3915
• Fax: (360) 570-1246
• Mail:
  Drivers Special Investigations
  Department of Licensing
  PO Box 9029
  Olympia, WA 98507-9029

Frequently asked questions

Can DOL put a flag, alert, comment, or password on my record?

Unless someone is issued a traffic ticket using your name or information, or fraudulent activity is detected within DOL, no notations will be added to your record.

How do I report suspected fraudulent activity by a DOL employee?

Immediately contact our Drivers Special Investigations unit at the location listed above.

When can I find more information about identity theft?

For more information on identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Find information about specific to Seattle vehicle-related matters such as renewing your tags, transferring or replacing a title, ordering specialized or vanity plates or obtaining a bill of sale. If you’ve misplaced your Seattle, WA registration card, need to submit a change of address, or have questions on vehicle inspection and smog, you’ll find what you need here.

We also cover special vehicles such as motorcycles, boats, RVs and custom-built cars. Need information on registering a salvaged vehicle in Washington? No problem.

Because not all Seattle DOL-related business can be conducted online, we offer Seattle locations and hours info for the branch office nearest to your Seattle neighborhood. Just be sure you schedule an appointment in advance.