Technology

Why physical ID theft is harder to fix than credit card fraud

Published

2 months ago

February 15, 2026

Why physical ID theft is harder to fix than credit card fraud

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It started with a voicemail from a Hertz rental car location in Miami, Florida. A 57-year-old woman in Los Alamitos, California, was asked when she planned to return a Mercedes-Benz she had never rented. A thief had stolen her driver’s license, replaced the photo with their own and used it to rent the vehicle. The same identity was used to open a credit card account, book airline tickets and reserve hotel stays. By the time she learned what happened, the fraud involved businesses in multiple states.

Clearing her name required police reports in two jurisdictions, written disputes with the credit card issuer and repeated contact with the rental company and hotels. Her accounts were frozen while she submitted notarized copies of her identification and signed fraud affidavits. The process lasted more than a week. She reported losing $78,500 and spent nearly 10 days dealing with the fallout from one stolen ID.

Credit card fraud is usually limited to a single account number. Physical ID theft gives someone the ability to act as you in the real world. As a result, the cleanup process is longer, more intrusive and often tied to your legal record.

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5 MYTHS ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT THAT PUT YOUR DATA AT RISK

A stolen driver’s license can allow someone to rent cars, open accounts and sign contracts in your name. (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

How credit card fraud recovery works

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you report unauthorized charges to the card issuer within 60 days of the statement date. Federal law limits your liability to $50, and most major issuers waive that entirely. The bank cancels the compromised card number, issues a replacement and removes the disputed charges after an investigation. You may need to confirm transactions and sign a fraud affidavit. The account number changes. Your name, driver’s license and Social Security number stay the same. In most cases, fraud is resolved within one or two billing cycles. That structure gives consumers clarity. There is one issuer, one investigation and one account to correct.

Why physical ID theft recovery is more complicated

Physical ID theft creates problems that go far beyond one financial account. When someone uses your driver’s license, they step into your legal identity. Start with reporting requirements. Most states require you to file a police report before the DMV will issue a replacement linked to fraud. That report number becomes part of your official record. If the misuse happened in another state, you may need to file a second report there.

Next, understand what replacing the card actually does. A new physical card does not erase prior activity. Rental contracts, utility accounts, hotel stays, or police interactions tied to the stolen license still carry your name and license number. Fixing those records takes work. You must contact each business directly and submit documentation. No central agency reverses everything at once. Each company sets its own rules and timeline.

The stakes can rise quickly. For example, if someone abandons a rental car or commits a crime using your stolen ID, law enforcement databases may record your name. At that point, the situation shifts from financial inconvenience to legal exposure.

HOW TO PROTECT A LOVED ONE’S IDENTITY AFTER DEATH

Police reports and formal disputes are often required before businesses will remove fraudulent records. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)

How to prove physical ID theft was not yours

With credit card fraud, the issuer investigates the charge. With physical ID theft, businesses and agencies often require you to prove that you did not authorize the activity. That process usually starts at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC generates an Identity Theft Report, which serves as an official statement of fraud. Most banks, collection agencies and rental companies will not proceed without it.

You may also need:

A local police report
A copy of your driver’s license
A notarized identity affidavit
Proof of residence tied to the date of the fraud

When thieves open fraudulent accounts in your name, dispute each one separately. Act quickly. Send a written response within 30 days of the first collection notice to protect your rights under federal law. Fraud that appears on your credit report requires another step. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion individually and submit formal disputes with supporting documentation. The credit bureaus then have up to 30 days to complete their investigations. No central agency manages these corrections for you. Instead, every company sets its own documentation rules and timeline. Therefore, you must track deadlines, follow up consistently and keep detailed records of every communication.

You cannot simply replace your driver’s license number after identity theft

When a credit card number is stolen, the bank issues a new one. When a driver’s license is stolen, the number usually remains the same. In California, if your driver’s license is lost or stolen, you can request a replacement card through the DMV online system or at a field office. The official process gets you a new physical card. No new license number is automatically assigned when the card is stolen.

If there is identity misuse tied to the license number, the DMV fraud review process allows you to submit documentation, including police reports, to support an identity theft claim before they take further action. A Social Security number is even harder to change. The Social Security Administration approves new numbers only in cases involving continued harm. Applicants must provide extensive documentation and appear in person.

A stolen physical ID, such as your license, includes:

Full legal name
Date of birth
Address
Driver’s license number
Signature

That information is sufficient for in-person identity checks, rental contracts, certain loan applications and travel-related transactions.

Credit monitoring alerts can help you detect identity misuse before it spreads across multiple accounts. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Why ongoing identity protection matters

There is no single agency that tracks misuse of your driver’s license across rental companies, lenders, collection agencies and law enforcement systems. That burden falls on you.

Identity theft services monitor your identity across all three credit bureaus and alert you to new credit inquiries, account openings and changes to your credit file. If fraud appears, you are assigned a dedicated U.S.-based case manager who helps:

File disputes with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
Prepare and submit FTC Identity Theft Reports
Contact creditors and collection agencies
Track documentation deadlines and responses
Assist with reimbursement claims when eligible

Plans can include identity theft insurance of up to $1 million per adult to cover eligible expenses such as lost wages, legal fees and document replacement costs related to identity theft recovery.

No service can prevent every misuse of a stolen ID. But when the issue involves police reports, credit bureaus, tax agencies and collection accounts, having structured support can make all the difference.

The California woman in this case was not enrolled in an identity theft protection service. Some businesses may reverse fraudulent charges, but it is unclear whether she recovered the full $78,500.

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Credit card fraud follows a defined path. You report the charge, the issuer investigates and your account number changes. In most cases, the disruption ends there. Physical ID theft moves differently. It spreads across rental companies, hotels, credit bureaus and sometimes law enforcement databases. Instead of one dispute, you may face several. Instead of replacing a number, you must protect a permanent identity marker tied to your name. That shift matters. A stolen driver’s license carries your legal identity into the real world. Therefore, recovery demands documentation, patience and persistence. Each business sets its own rules. Each agency runs its own timeline. You coordinate the process. The lesson is clear. Protecting your financial accounts is critical. However, protecting your physical identification may be even more important. Once someone uses it in person, the cleanup becomes personal, procedural and time-consuming. Layered monitoring, early alerts and fast reporting reduce long-term damage. The faster you respond, the more control you keep.

Have you ever dealt with physical ID theft, and did the recovery process take longer than you expected? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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Technology

Microsoft starts removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps

Published

10 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Microsoft starts removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps

Microsoft is starting to remove “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from its Windows 11 apps. In the latest version of the Notepad app for Windows Insiders, Microsoft has removed the Copilot button in favor of a “writing tools” menu. The Copilot button in the Snipping Tool app also no longer appears when you select an area to capture.

The change is part of “reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad,” that Microsoft promised to complete as part of its broader plan to fix Windows 11. While Copilot buttons are being removed, it looks like the underlying AI features are here to stay, though.

The Copilot button has been removed from Notepad, but the writing tools replacement still uses AI-powered features and looks like the identical menu of options that existed before. I still think these features are largely unnecessary in what’s supposed to be a lightweight text app, but removing the superfluous Copilot branding is a good first step.

Technology

AI chatbots refilling psych meds sparks debate

Published

10 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

AI chatbots refilling psych meds sparks debate

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If you have ever waited weeks just to renew a mental health prescription, you already know how frustrating the system can feel. Now imagine handling that refill through a chatbot instead of a doctor.

That kind of thing is already starting to happen. In Utah, a new pilot program is allowing an artificial intelligence system from Legion Health to renew certain psychiatric medications without direct approval from a physician each time. State officials say this could speed things up and reduce costs.

Many psychiatrists are not convinced. They are asking whether this actually solves the problem it claims to fix.

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AMAZON HEALTH AI BRINGS A DOCTOR TO YOUR POCKET

Utah launches AI chatbot to renew select psychiatric prescriptions, raising questions about safety and oversight. (pocketlight/Getty Images)

How the AI prescription system works

Before this starts sounding like a robot psychiatrist, the program stays tightly limited. The AI only renews a short list of lower-risk medications that a doctor has already prescribed. These include commonly used antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft and Wellbutrin.

To qualify, patients must meet strict requirements. You need to be stable on your current medication. Recent dosage changes or a psychiatric hospitalization will disqualify you. You also need to check in with a healthcare provider after a set number of refills or within a certain time frame.

During the process, the chatbot asks about symptoms, side effects and warning signs such as suicidal thoughts. If anything raises concern, it sends the case to a real doctor before approving a refill. According to an agreement filed with Utah’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, the pilot includes strict safeguards, including human review thresholds and automatic escalation for higher-risk cases. The system cannot prescribe new medications or manage drugs that require close monitoring. As a result, it leaves out many complex conditions from the pilot.

Why some experts are pushing back

Even with those guardrails, many psychiatrists are uneasy. Brent Kious, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine, has questioned whether AI systems like this actually solve the access problem they are designed to address.

He has suggested that the benefits of an AI-based refill system may be overstated, especially since patients must already be stable and under care to qualify. Kious has also raised concerns about how much these systems rely on self-reported answers. Patients may not recognize side effects, may answer inaccurately, or may adjust their responses to get the outcome they want.

He has further questioned whether current AI tools can safely handle even routine parts of psychiatric care, noting that treatment decisions often depend on factors that go beyond simple screening questions. He has also pointed to a lack of transparency in how these systems operate, which can make it harder for doctors and patients to fully trust them.

HEALTHCARE DATA BREACH HITS SYSTEM STORING PATIENT RECORDS

A new pilot program allows AI to handle some mental health medication refills without direct doctor approval. (Sezeryadigar/Getty Images)

The promise behind the technology

Supporters of the program are focused on access. A lot of people in Utah still struggle to get mental health care. Wait times can stretch for weeks. In some areas, there simply are not enough providers available. The idea is that AI can take care of routine refill requests so doctors have more time to focus on patients with more complex needs. That could help take some pressure off the system. Legion Health is also leaning into convenience. The service is expected to cost about $19 a month and is designed to make refills quicker and easier for patients who qualify. From a big-picture view, that could help. From a patient’s point of view, the tradeoff may feel a little more complicated. We reached out to Legion Health for comment, but did not hear back before our deadline.

What this means to you

If you rely on mental health medication, this kind of system could change how you manage your care. You may be able to get refills more quickly if your condition is stable and your treatment plan is not changing. At the same time, this does not replace your doctor. It does not handle new diagnoses or complex decisions. It also adds another layer between you and your care. Instead of a conversation, you are interacting with a system that depends on how you answer a series of questions. Mental health treatment often depends on small details. Changes in mood, sleep or behavior can matter more than a simple yes or no response. That is where some experts believe human care still has a clear advantage.

The bigger question about AI in healthcare

This pilot is only one step in a much larger shift. Utah is already experimenting with AI in other areas of healthcare. Companies like Legion are signaling plans to expand beyond a single state. What starts with simple refills could eventually move into more complex decisions. That is where the conversation becomes more urgent. Is this a practical way to improve access to care, or does it risk reducing something deeply personal into a transaction driven by software?

HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE

Psychiatrists question whether AI prescription refills address access issues or create new risks for patients. (SDI Productions/Getty Images)

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Kurt’s key takeaways

There is no question that access to mental health care needs improvement. Long wait times and limited availability are real problems that affect millions of people. AI may help in specific situations, especially when the task is routine and the patient is stable. Still, convenience should not be confused with quality. For now, this system is narrow in scope and closely monitored. That makes it easier to test. It also highlights how early we are in this transition. The technology will continue to evolve. The real question is whether the safeguards, oversight and transparency will evolve at the same pace.

Would you feel comfortable letting a chatbot handle part of your mental health care, or is that a line you do not want technology to cross? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

ChatGPT has a new $100 per month Pro subscription

Published

22 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

ChatGPT has a new 0 per month Pro subscription

OpenAI has announced a new version of its ChatGPT Pro subscription that costs $100 per month. The new Pro tier offers “5x more” usage of its Codex coding tool than the $20 per month Plus subscription and “is best for longer, high-effort Codex sessions,” OpenAI says.

The company is introducing the new tier as it tries to win over users from Anthropic and its popular Claude Code tool. ChatGPT’s $100 per month option will directly compete with Anthropic’s “Max” tier for Claude, which costs the same price. It also offers a middle ground between the $20 per month Plus tier and the $200 version of the Pro tier.

(Yes, there are now two tiers of “Pro”; while the new tier “still offers access to all Pro features,” OpenAI says that the more expensive one has even higher usage limits.)

According to OpenAI, ChatGPT Plus will “will continue to be the best offer at $20 for steady, day-to-day usage of Codex, and the new $100 Pro tier offers a more accessible upgrade path for heavier daily use.” OpenAI also offers an $8 per month Go tier and a free tier.