Copies of the old style driving licence

[kik1.6se]

Hi Guys,

My Dads company asked him to show his drivers licence as he drives a company vehicle.

The company think that its a fake because it says fake in very faint dots, but its properly water marked and has his signature.

It looks like the faint dots are there so if some one does copy it it comes up with the word fake.  

Does anyone know how to prove that it isn't a fake and the people at his company just don't know what they are talking about?

Kirk

[stu999]

Other than getting a replacement, probably not

[John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison]

I think it was so that if you colour copied them the word became blindingly obvious. I suspect that they dont know what they are talking about. Why would anyone purposely have a licence with the words FAKE on it goodness me  

[pistonbroke]

Tell em it' s abbreviation of " For Any Kompany   ole "  

[westy666]

QUOTE

Why would anyone purposely have a licence with the words FAKE on it goodness me  

well thats my coffee on keyboard moment for the evening then    

[Liam]

1 It looks like the faint dots are there so if some one does copy it it comes up with the word fake.  

2 Does anyone know how to prove that it isn't a fake and the people at his company just don't know what they are talking about?

Kirk

1 Exactly

2 The company can phone DVLA, with your dad present so that they can ask him a security question, and they can confirm the valdity of the licence

L

[Eccentric_Rich]

Why don't you just find someone else who has an old style licence and compare your Dad's licence with theirs.

Failing that pop into your local Police Station and ask the desk jockey to have a look - they see hundreds of 'em after all.

Richard.

[Yobbo]

People do try and get jobs with copies. We interviewed a driver a few years ago who handed me such a licence. I was suspisious of the word FAKE and upon checking he had actually lost his licence for some offence or other and this was a photocopy of his old licence prior to all the endorsements.  Good job we checked.  I would handle it very carefully

[stu999]

QUOTE

2 The company can phone DVLA, with your dad present so that they can ask him a security question, and they can confirm the valdity of the licence

Security question? Intrigued. What like? Of most of the questions that *could* be asked, the answers would be found on the license anyway. I dont recall DVLA asking me what my mothers maiden name was, or anything like that?

[NRW]

You can sign an authority for a private firm to check with the DVLA. I just did this for a new job

[jak]

I think it was so that if you colour copied them the word became blindingly obvious. I suspect that they dont know what they are talking about. Why would anyone purposely have a licence with the words FAKE on it goodness me  

Colour copiers have the ability to recognise "official" documents - driving licences, passports, bank notes, etc. They then print it in one colour only and also print the serial number of the copier in barcode on the copy which could then be traced back via the manufacturer. So, yes it would be obvious.

[Morbius]

Almost correct.  I went for an interview with the Bank of England a few years back, and part of the interview included a discussion of the early history of the measures that they took to combat fraud.

With the advent of colour copiers, they did some tests to determine what colours the copiers would render least realistically, which is why our modern notes have a range of pale colours and low contrast markings.  The notes are also printed on a special unbleached recycled paper that does not reflect UV light like photocopier and most other paper does.

My old style licence did not display the words fake or Counterfeit when copied, but IIRC the word 'copy' came through more prominently than on the original, which was a security measure.  The modern paper counterpart does not need such a measure, because the new licence has a photo.

Unless someone has kept their paper licence or the new counterpart pressed between the pages of an encyclopaedia since new, and not carried it with them as recommended by the boys in blue, it will be relatively easy to tell the original from a copy if the licence is more than a few months old.

My new style licence is only three years old and the counterpart is pretty scraggy from being in my wallet.  All right, so I got it wet a coupe of times when I forgot to take my wallet out of my trouseres when I went sailing   , but it was getting ragged anyway.

Remember it is a £1000 fine for not getting a new licence when you move house.  IIRC, you get about six months grace from the date of the move.

[Gromit]

QUOTE

Colour copiers have the ability to recognise "official" documents - driving licences, passports, bank notes, etc. They then print it in one colour only and also print the serial number of the copier in barcode on the copy which could then be traced back via the manufacturer. So, yes it would be obvious.

Ricoh machines used to put nearly invisible yellow dots all over the copy that could be read, and these would match up to the copiers serial number.

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

When you say 'old style' driving licence, do you mean the little red book? Your dad can borrow mine if you want Kirk, but the company might not like the 13 endorsments that's on it  

[Jonah]

I have got the old style pink coloured paper licence and the only things I can see on it are the DVLA watermark and "driver and vehicle licence centre" printed continuously through the  area used for endorsements.

Whereabouts on the licence does the word fake appear.

Pete Jones