6 Ways to Avoid a Real ID Scam as TSA Deadline Nears

Why scammers might exploit the upgraded driver’s license you’ll need to fly after May 7

Ken Budd,

AARP

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En español

Published January 02, 2025

Photo Collage: AARP; (Source: Getty Images (4))

If you’re a frequent traveler, mark this date: May 7, 2025. Starting then, you’ll need a Real ID — which is an enhanced driver’s license or state ID card — to board a domestic flight. Here’s additional incentive: Waiting too long could not only jeopardize your next trip, but make you susceptible to a Real ID scam.

You get a Real ID just like you would a normal driver’s license: Through your state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). States have gradually been rolling them out, and most mark their Real ID cards with a gold or black star in the top right corner. Like a passport, they also include an encoded “machine readable zone” with a person’s scannable information. The concept dates back to 2005, when Congress passed the Real ID Act (the 9/11 Commission had recommended that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses”). You’ll need a Real ID not only to access domestic flights, but to enter certain federal facilities, such as military bases.

You also will still be able to use a passport as identification, if you don’t have the new ID.

So why would scammers target the Real ID process? That looming deadline is a big reason. It creates a sense of urgency — which, as criminals know, can make people more susceptible to scams.

“We know anytime people are up against a deadline, they will try to find an expedited way to get the process done. And that’s when the scams pop up,” says Amy Nofziger, director of victim support for AARP’s Fraud Watch Network. Also, criminals follow the headlines, she notes. As the May 7 deadline approaches, the media will likely run more Real ID stories, which could fuel more scams.

Most Real ID frauds will likely be phishing scams: Emails, texts, or calls that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as your state DMV or the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The messages will entice you to click on links so criminals can obtain your personal information or download malware onto your computer.

The lessons of 2021

A rash of Real ID scams first appeared in 2021. At the time, U.S. travelers were supposed to obtain the ID by October 1 of that year. (The Real ID deadline has been extended numerous times. The original deadline was in 2008, but opposition to Real ID from certain states led to delays. The October 2021 deadline was moved to 2023 because of the pandemic, and then to the current date, May 7, 2025).

In 2021, states such as California, New York, and Wyoming issued warnings about phishing scams, where criminals sought personal data by claiming to help people acquire a Real ID or to update their personal information to comply. In Illinois, a message supposedly from the state’s DMV sent people to a fake website to confirm details for “a driver’s license waiver.” Among the problems: The message didn’t come from the state and the DMV offered no such waiver.

Real ID scams haven’t resurfaced in large numbers yet, most fraud watchers say, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. In July 2024, a Texas woman received a fake email purportedly from the state’s DMV (she reported it to a local NBC affiliate, which notified the actual DMV).

“I definitely think as the deadline approaches the scams will intensify,” says fraud expert Steve Weisman, founder of Scamicide.com.

How to protect yourself from Real ID scams

Obtain a Real ID. And do so sooner rather than later. Once you have it, you probably won’t be tempted by a scam. DHS has a map with links to every state DMV on its Real ID website. The site also includes a helpful list of frequently asked questions.

Understand how it’s used. Scammers may try to confuse you about a Real ID’s purpose. Travelers will need to present it at airport checkpoints for domestic flights, but if you’re traveling internationally, you’ll still need a passport (and, again, you can use a passport instead of a Real ID for domestic flights as well). Other alternative IDs include passport cards, U.S. military IDs, an ID from the federal Trusted Traveler Program (such as a Global Entry card) and Real ID-compliant mobile driver’s licenses. Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington offer Enhanced Drivers Licenses (EDL), which are also acceptable alternatives to Real ID and provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

Don’t click on links from unknown sources. That rule applies to any email or text that you didn’t initiate, even if the message looks official and includes a DMV logo, for example. And “never provide personal information,” says Weisman. “You can never be sure who is actually contacting you.”

Watch for clues that’s something amiss. Scammers are increasingly sophisticated, but you can still spots signs of a fraud. A fake DMV email or website, for example, might have a .com extension rather than .gov. In 2021, a supposed text from the Illinois DMV featured a phone number with a 315 area code — but that area code is for upstate New York, not Illinois. Also, Illinois doesn’t have a Department of Motor Vehicles. It has a Department of Driver Services and a Department of Vehicle Services.

Don’t expect a DMV to ask for info online. To get a Real ID, you typically need to go in-person to a DMV office, where you’ll present documents proving your age and identity, Social Security number and address. DMVs will never ask you to provide personal information by text or email.

Share your experience. If you’re targeted by a scam, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.FTC.gov and the AARP Fraud Watch Network. You can also contact AARP’s free Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) for information about scams and victim support.

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Ken Budd has written for National Geographic Traveler, Travel+Leisure, The Washington Post Magazine and many more. He is the author of a memoir, The Voluntourist.