PINELLAS COUNTY — In March 2019 Corey, who asked that her last name not be used, drove to Largo’s East Lake Park to walk her dogs. Corey stashed her purse under the driver’s seat but a thief smashed the driver’s window and snatched her purse.
According to a Largo Police report, Corey’s wallet contained multiple credit cards along with her driver’s license. “I blocked everything, canceled all my cards.” Said Corey who thought that was the end of it. But then in March, the Hertz Rental Car Group mailed Corey urgent notices regarding a missing rental car that was rented in her name in Miami. “I was very confused and very anxious because I did not know what it was about.”
She notified Hertz that someone used a stolen license to rent a Chrysler Pacifica. The driver did end up returning the minivan but then Hertz billed Corey for the 720 dollars in charges. “I was more than furious, I was outraged.”
Corey made a call for action, leading Consumer Investigator Jackie Callaway to ask the rental car giant for a review of the claim. Hertz responded, saying in an email, "The team removed the amount and cleared the suspensions. They are reaching out to advise the customer today."
Corey confirmed that Hertz notified her they had resolved the issue and apologized for the error.
https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/fraud/identity-theft-driver-license-fraud/
If your license is ever lost or stolen, contact the DMV and ask for a verified ID flag to be placed on your driver record. It can help stop anyone from using your license as it requires police and the DMV to ask for two forms of ID to confirm an identity.
