FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Contact:
Lisa Koumjian
[email protected] [1]
DMV EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, FRAUD PREVENTION AND DETECTION, AND IMPROVED EFFICIENCY
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) [3] has received three awards from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators [4] (AAMVA) for customer convenience and service, fraud prevention and detection, and improved efficiency. The projects, improvements and work that led to these awards have collectively saved taxpayers time, money, and protected them against identity theft. DMV accepted the awards last week at the conclusion of AAMVA’s Region 1 Conference in Wilmington, Delaware.
“It is very gratifying to be recognized by AAMVA for our efforts to serve our customers, deter fraud and improve our operations,” said Terri Egan, DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner. “These awards are a testament to the commitment to excellence that our employees demonstrate every day. We are proud of these accomplishments and will continue to find ways to enhance our operations, moving forward.”
DMV won the following awards:
Customer Convenience, Service Award
DMV was awarded the Customer Convenience, Service Award for its user-friendly Document Guide. Created as part of the DMV Modernization initiative, the Document Guide is an easy-to-use online tool that allows customers to better prepare for a DMV office visit, saving them time and frustration. The Document Guide asks customers a series of short, simple questions to help them determine what proofs of identification they need to bring to a DMV office when applying for a photo document, such as a non-driver ID, learner permit or driver license. The process takes just minutes to complete. It also notifies customers when only original documents will be accepted. This helps them avoid having to make multiple office visits and reduces office wait times, greatly improving customer satisfaction.
In addition, the Document Guide features a printable checklist to remind customers what proofs they should gather in preparation for their office visit. It provides a price range for the transaction, so customers can be prepared with the proper form of payment, and lets customers know what office forms are required, giving them the option of saving time by filling the forms out ahead of their visit. It is also linked to an online reservation system that allows customers to schedule a visit to one of many DMV offices at a convenient date and time.
See the Document Guide [5].
Fraud Prevention and Detection Award
Supervising Investigator Todd Dort of DMV’s Division of Field Investigation was awarded the individual security award for his fraud prevention and detection work that led to the convictions of three individuals and protected countless potential victims from identity theft.
The investigation began in 2015 when Supervising Investigator Dort determined that two individuals attempted to purchase a Range Rover SUV from an Albany-area dealership using fraudulent documents. Dort discovered that they were using the stolen identity of an unsuspecting 74-year-old Albany-area man. The victim told Supervising Investigator Dort that he was also contacted by a jewelry store seeking payment for nearly $4,000 in jewelry he never purchased.
Using video surveillance and credit applications submitted to the jewelry store, Dort linked those purchases to the two individuals who attempted to buy the Range Rover. Both suspects were arrested and charged with identity theft and grand larceny.
During his search, Supervising Investigator Dort also recovered a second fake New York State ID card, fraudulent payroll checks and a list of nearly 15 names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, addresses, occupations and more. Working with the Albany County District Attorney’s Office, Dort interviewed each of the victims who appeared on the list, finding the common link was a visit to an Albany-area hospital emergency room.
The investigation led to a hospital employee who was found to be printing out patients’ personal information from the hospital’s computer system and handing it off to an associate, who then made fraudulent IDs to commit various financial crimes. Dort arrested the hospital employee, who was charged with numerous computer trespass crimes.
Dort has more than 16 years of experience with DMV.
Improvement through Efficiencies Service Award
DMV also won the Improvement Through Efficiencies Service Award for its optimized bulk mail sorting process. In October 2016, DMV Mail Operations purchased a new system for scanning outgoing mail that, rather than sorting mail by the first three digits of the zip code, scans all five digits. A camera inside recognizes the zip code and sorts each envelope into one of 120 different bins, twice as many as were previously available. This allows mail to be sorted more efficiently in-house and reduces the amount of money DMV pays to the U.S. Postal Service for sorting and shipping.
DMV sends out about 22 million pieces of mail per year. The new sorting system saves the department up to 9 cents on every piece of outgoing mail, which adds up to thousands of dollars each day. In just the past year, savings have totaled nearly $680,000, far offsetting the $450,000 cost of the equipment.
For more information about NYS DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov [3], or follow the DMV online on Facebook [6] and Twitter [7].
About AAMVA
Founded in 1933, AAMVA [8] represents the state and provincial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws. AAMVA encourages uniformity and reciprocity among the states and provinces and serves as a liaison with other levels of government and the private sector.
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