Province unveils new anti-fraud design for driver’s licences

by Morinville News Staff

The province says new driver’s licences and identification cards will help protect Albertans against counterfeiting and ID theft while saving $1 million a year.

The new licences and ID cards offer updated security features, including clear windows, laser engraving and 3D embossing – enhancements the government believes will make it harder to alter or replicate cards.

“Our government takes identity fraud very seriously. We are the first jurisdiction in North America to integrate this combination of design and security to protect Albertans from ID theft and prevent fraud,” said Stephanie McLean, Minister of Service Alberta, in a release Wednesday. “We are using the latest technology available to safeguard people’s personal information and prevent scams.”

Other features include a clear window shaped like Alberta, a gradual transition of colour from one part of the card to another, and the security background is visible through the characters of the birth month and year. The card makes a tin-like sound when dropped on a hard surface, unlike credit cards or bank cards.

The cards, currently in production, will save $1 million per year because of lower costs due to advancements in technology.

The driver’s licence design depicts Castle Mountain and the Bow River in Banff National Park, while the ID cards feature a Wild Rose, Alberta’s provincial flower. Both cards also include an image of an Albertosaurus, a dinosaur whose name honours Alberta, where its remains were first discovered.

This is the first government card redesign since 2009.

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3 Comments

  1. What but he’s showing his face?? Where’s the Burka? And it says male…OMG I’m offend. Whatever happened to non-binary???? He, she, it, transitioning etc???? lol

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