How do you prove who you really are?

[Naturally]

I was going to say Military ID would be a sure fire way ... but hold on

I personally met a Boatswain's Mate 1st Class (BM1) with almost 20yrs in, that had to come clean.
He'd enlisted into the Navy under someone else's name entirely.
It was someone he had known and knew the guy would himself never be in the military.
So he used that guy's identity for all those years. He had even gotten married and they had children.

Why he felt he had to use another name, I may have known, but have forgotten after all these years.
He may have had some kind of criminal record or something. I forget exactly why.

I guess coming up on retirement pay, he didn't want that pay going to someone else.
Maybe that was it or not. I don't know for sure and everything sounded complicated and short story worthy.
Also not sure how social security numbers figured in. Whether he got a new number under the assumed name or not.
But at the end of day, for almost 20yrs, his military ID and records were a lie, and he felt compelled to come clean.

I've heard tales of others enlisting under someone else's name but who knows. I did meet one(1) though.

 

[Naturally]

Recently I had a very rich uncle I never heard of or met, pass away and he named me in his will.
I didn't find out about it until I got an email from Nigeria.
All I need do is send money to have the lawyers clear everything up and settle the estate.

So I is me !!! ... they wouldn't send my unknown Uncles fortune to just anyone !!! ... would they

 

[jujube]

My daughter's Department of State birth certificate does not have our names on it. Just her name, date of birth, and place of birth. I know mine and my husband's birth certificates have our parents name on them, but they were regular birth certificates.

I always wondered how I could prove to anyone, using her birth certificate, that I was her mother. Luckily, I had enough other documents to straighten out anything that might arise.

 

[Rakaia]

Since 2001 people entering the USA legally have the iris of their eyes scanned. These apparently are unique, so there's proof.

 

[Naturally]

When in the military, I was transferred from Virginia to Florida
Arriving in Florida, I drove to the DMV to change from a Virginia driver's license to a Florida one

Up until then, every time I moved from one state to another, it was just a matter of "swapping" one valid license for another.

But in Florida and after 9/11, things had changed I guess. They wanted to see a "Birth Certificate". I showed them the Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in. On the back was my mother's thumb print and a print of my baby foot. I'd used that Certificate my entire life when asked for a birth certificate ... getting into schools, getting a driver's license, joining the military ... everything.

FLORIDA DMV WOULD NOT ACCEPT the Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in. Florida DMV said that was just a piece of paper that wasn't anything official government wise.

SOooo ... I went back to my apartment and dug through ALL my personal papers to see if I had anything else in regards to my birth. And sure enough, I found a Notification of Birth Registration (with a file index number) from the Department of Public Health in the city I was born in.

With Notification of Birth Registration in hand from a city ... I went back to Florida DMV for the second time. NOPE ... no way jose' were they going to accept that as a Birth Certificate ... have a nice day.

I was at a loss and did some digging around which led me to contact the Office of Recorder in the County I was born in way out on the West Coast. The Recorder's office had me verify who I was over the phone ... asked me dates and time of birth, mother's and maybe father's name and all some such rigamarole. Apparently I dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's ... within a couple of weeks I had a certificate from the county I was born in.

The hospital certificate hadn't worked to prove who I was. The Notification of Birth from the city's Department of Public Health where I was born had not worked ... so off I went back to Florida DMV for the THIRD time with a certificate from the county I was born in.

Lo and behold ... THAT was the paperwork Florida DMV wanted in order to prove I was who I said I was. They didn't want a "Birth Certificate" after all. Nope. Over and over they said "Birth Certificate" ... but that wasn't what they wanted at all. WHAT THEY WANTED was ... a Certificate of Live Birth !!! ... and that's what I got from the county I was born in.

I got a Florida Driver's License, but no longer have it. I now have a driver's license for the state I'm currently living in. I've lived in eight(8) different states, but Florida takes the cake for making sure I am who I is. Another state's license didn't work to prove my ID. My military ID wasn't even close to proving who I was as far as they were concerned, Certificate of Birth from the hospital was no good either. Official city Public Health was no good. Only a Certificate of Live Birth worked to prove who I was for them.

Beyond all that ... don't know what else I could do to prove the name and number I have is me ... but I'd think of something

EDIT: Had I never moved to Florida, I probably NEVER would have even had a Certificate of Live Birth, so there's that I guess. Never needed it until then and I was 50 at the time.

EDIT #2: I said I went back to Florida DMV for a third time but that isn't true. I went there for a fourth time before I got a Florida Driver's License:
1) Walked in with just a valid Virginia Driver's License
2) Went back with a Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in
3) Went back with a Department of Public Health Notification of Birth Registration from the city born in
4) Went back with a Certificate of Live Birth from the county born in

 

[mrstime]

But what was required for you to get that ID with your picture on it.
How does the document that was used prove it is you?

Well the province sent me a letter telling me it was time to get both renewed.So I take my previous cards and turn them in to the provincial building here in my small town. They take the picture, and mail both cards to my address. If I remember correctly it cost about 15 bucks.

Then when we call the pharmacy we deal with let them know we need some of whatever medicine, they ask my birth date or if for DH they want his birth date.

 

[bobcat]

During the Viet Nam War, I took USN and USAF tests to avoid being drafted for which there was otherwise no escape if remaining in the USA and likely would otherwise have become a grunt carrying an M16 in swamps,. That brought me into the USAF where one becomes fingerprinted, a sure way to have life long identification. I was put into a SECRET electronics field for which I also had a through FBI investigation. Since my father was also involved in national defense rocket corps and an uncle became a higher ranking naval officer, my identity is well cross validated. I still have military HD documents and also still have birth documents from Los Angeles County.

I would very much prefer USA establish national IDs and E-Verify for employment that many in Wall Street and various political types hate.

I did the very same thing as you, and went into the AF.
However, even though you are fingerprinted, it just identifies you from that point forward. The question still looms, how does the military (Or anyone) know that the person they are fingerprinting or issuing a license to is really that person. They most likely require a copy of your birth certificate, and possibly your social security card, but how does that prove who you are just because that document is in your possession.

 

[bobcat]

When in the military, I was transferred from Virginia to Florida
Arriving in Florida, I drove to the DMV to change from a Virginia driver's license to a Florida one

Up until then, every time I moved from one state to another, it was just a matter of "swapping" one valid license for another.

But in Florida and after 9/11, things had changed I guess. They wanted to see a "Birth Certificate". I showed them the Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in. On the back was my mother's thumb print and a print of my baby foot. I'd used that Certificate my entire life when asked for a birth certificate ... getting into schools, getting a driver's license, joining the military ... everything.

FLORIDA DMV WOULD NOT ACCEPT the Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in. Florida DMV said that was just a piece of paper that wasn't anything official government wise.

SOooo ... I went back to my apartment and dug through ALL my personal papers to see if I had anything else in regards to my birth. And sure enough, I found a Notification of Birth Registration (with a file index number) from the Department of Public Health in the city I was born in.

With Notification of Birth Registration in hand from a city ... I went back to Florida DMV for the second time. NOPE ... no way jose' were they going to accept that as a Birth Certificate ... have a nice day.

I was at a loss and did some digging around which led me to contact the Office of Recorder in the County I was born in way out on the West Coast. The Recorder's office had me verify who I was over the phone ... asked me dates and time of birth, mother's and maybe father's name and all some such rigamarole. Apparently I dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's ... within a couple of weeks I had a certificate from the county I was born in.

The hospital certificate hadn't worked to prove who I was. The Notification of Birth from the city's Department of Public Health where I was born had not worked ... so off I went back to Florida DMV for the THIRD time with a certificate from the county I was born in.

Lo and behold ... THAT was the paperwork Florida DMV wanted in order to prove I was who I said I was. They didn't want a "Birth Certificate" after all. Nope. Over and over they said "Birth Certificate" ... but that wasn't what they wanted at all. WHAT THEY WANTED was ... a Certificate of Live Birth !!! ... and that's what I got from the county I was born in.

I got a Florida Driver's License, but no longer have it. I now have a driver's license for the state I'm currently living in. I've lived in eight(8) different states, but Florida takes the cake for making sure I am who I is. Another state's license didn't work to prove my ID. My military ID wasn't even close to proving who I was as far as they were concerned, Certificate of Birth from the hospital was no good either. Official city Public Health was no good. Only a Certificate of Live Birth worked to prove who I was for them.

Beyond all that ... don't know what else I could do to prove the name and number I have is me ... but I'd think of something

EDIT: Had I never moved to Florida, I probably NEVER would have even had a Certificate of Live Birth, so there's that I guess. Never needed it until then and I was 50 at the time.

EDIT #2: I said I went back to Florida DMV for a third time but that isn't true. I went there for a fourth time before I got a Florida Driver's License:
1) Walked in with just a valid Virginia Driver's License
2) Went back with a Certificate of Birth from the hospital I was born in
3) Went back with a Department of Public Health Notification of Birth Registration from the city born in
4) Went back with a Certificate of Live Birth from the county born in

Good example, and the strange thing is, even the certificate of live birth doesn't prove anything. Anyone with adequate researching skills could get the information they most likely ask you for. It's pretty much just your word, along with the information you supply that they go by.

 

[Naturally]

Ask my mother ... ask the doctor who delivered me ... well you can't
Guess that's why a Certificate of Live Birth is a necessary recourse
But the thinker might say ... Certificate of Live Birth could have been forged, altered or stolen
... so the question remains ... how do you prove who you are and a U.S. born citizen?
I'll defer to the White House

Honestly, I have a file folder in a fireproof box concerning proof of who I am
... and someone could grab those documents and information. Then I'm a nobody ... oh wait

 

[bobcat]

Well the province sent me a letter telling me it was time to get both renewed.So I take my previous cards and turn them in to the provincial building here in my small town. They take the picture, and mail both cards to my address. If I remember correctly it cost about 15 bucks.

Then when we call the pharmacy we deal with let them know we need some of whatever medicine, they ask my birth date or if for DH they want his birth date.

Exactly. It seems every document relies on a previous document, and when you get down to the root document, it seems to be a birth certificate or certificate of live birth, but it's still a piece of paper. How does it prove that you are the baby who was born. It is provided to you because they are convinced you are that person, but that may be a wrong conclusion.

 

[bobcat]

Ask my mother ... ask the doctor who delivered me ... well you can't
Guess that's why a Certificate of Live Birth is a necessary recourse
But the thinker might say ... Certificate of Live Birth could have been forged, altered or stolen
... so the question remains ... how do you prove who you are and a U.S. born citizen?
I'll defer to the White House

Honestly, I have a file folder in a fireproof box concerning proof of who I am
... and someone could grab those documents and information. Then I'm a nobody ... oh wait

I suppose they could get a sworn and notarized document from both parents (If they were still alive), but for them to get something notarized, all you need to do is show a driver's license, but again, that document is only as good as someone's word.
It seems, in the end, that it's just a matter of convincing the right person that you are who you say you are.

 

[Naturally]

The unknown are ... Known But To God

 

[Naturally]

Maybe the gubment will start doing the eye thing and DNA for all births? Should they?

 

[horseless carriage]

You can get a document that says who you are, and get a driver's license with your photo on it that says who you are, and even get other documents that use those documents (Like getting a passport), but couldn't it all be faked or made up.
Your birth certificate doesn't have your picture on it, and even if it did, it would look like a baby.
What makes our ID foolproof?

You could have a swab, taken from your mouth saliva, at birth. Your DNA constantly replicates itself by making hand-written copies of your body’s instruction manual using the chunks of bases that form the words. There are an estimated 3 billion bases in a human’s body. About 99% of those bases are the same in every person. The remaining 1% is what makes you unique.

In 1994, the UK created the legal basis for a national DNA database of people who have been convicted of all but the most trivial offences. Since its creation, the National DNA Database has grown to include DNA samples from 2.7 million individuals about 5.2% of the UK population many of whom have never been charged with, or convicted of, any offence. It is the oldest, largest and most inclusive national forensic DNA database in the world.

Given its broad coverage, the database has raised concerns about privacy, government surveillance and human rights. These repercussions stretch beyond the borders of the UK, as many other countries are considering the creation or expansion of similar forensic DNA databases. For instance, in 1995, New York State Governor George Pataki sought to take DNA samples from people convicted of any misdemeanour, a proposal that was met with widespread criticism.

At the crux of the question lies the choice of every new born having their DNA recorded, or the right to personal freedom. I know which one I would choose.

 

[MaxHarris]

You can get a document that says who you are, and get a driver's license with your photo on it that says who you are, and even get other documents that use those documents (Like getting a passport), but couldn't it all be faked or made up.
Your birth certificate doesn't have your picture on it, and even if it did, it would look like a baby.
What makes our ID foolproof?

is anything 'truly' foolproof ?....I don't suppose it is, that's why forgers will always be utilised by certain sections of society. Having said that my wife and I had to visit our lawyer this week for a bit of business he is doing for us and proof of address and who we are were required so presented individual bank statements and a house insurance document all of which showed our names and address. We had a general election last week and for the 1st time photo ID was required at the polling station. They accepted our OAP bus passes which were obtained when we turned 60 and had to produce documents showing our names & address.

 

[Ronni]

Yes. If you were a home birth, it raises even more validation issues.

My kids were all born at home. Comparing notes with other Moms whose kids were born in a hospital, the birth certificate procedure was essentially the same. The form was filled out with the child’s name and appropriate details, signed by the interested parties, and sent in so that an official copy would ultimately be in hand.

That process may be more complex now, my last child was born 35 years ago.

 

[Pepper]

You want to be me? Be me. Have a ball. Maybe my identity will work better for you.

 

[Ronni]

@bobcat I think the deeper question might be how does the government (or any entity for whom one’s identity is suspect) prove that you’re NOT who you say you are?

Once we have our appropriate identification documents in hand (whether by fair means or foul) what circumstance would cause them to be questioned? Our parents or other authority figures were required to submit filled out forms to verify our births. As we got older, we then used that verification, plus other supporting documents to obtain a social security card, drivers license, passport, marriage certificate etc. all of which support and validate that we are who we say we are.

So how does one disprove that? Unless one of those documents is red flagged for some reason (and I can’t think of any way they would be unless we were accused of criminal acts and investigated, or there was another person with our social or DL number or some such) there would be no reason to investigate further.

 

[bobcat]

@bobcat I think the deeper question might be how does the government (or any entity for whom one’s identity is suspect) prove that you’re NOT who you say you are?

Once we have our appropriate identification documents in hand (whether by fair means or foul) what circumstance would cause them to be questioned? Our parents or other authority figures were required to submit filled out forms to verify our births. As we got older, we then used that verification, plus other supporting documents to obtain a social security card, drivers license, passport, marriage certificate etc. all of which support and validate that we are who we say we are.

So how does one disprove that? Unless one of those documents is red flagged for some reason (and I can’t think of any way they would be unless we were accused of criminal acts and investigated, or there was another person with our social or DL number or some such) there would be no reason to investigate further.

I guess sometimes it works that way, but in many cases, the proof lies with the claimant. If you want to get a certified copy of your birth certificate from the Vital Records Office, you need to convince them that you are who you claim to be. I'm sure fraudulent attempts are sometimes made to do just that.

 

[dilettante]

I had a weird dream last night.

I was somewhere like a theater with mass seating and a lot of people. I was sitting on the end of a row. No idea why I was there or how I got there, that part of the dream didn't stick. A woman who was clearly a National Guard nurse or assistant of some type walked up and addressed me by name and asked me to stand.

I was confused. How did she know who I was? I asked and she just tapped what looked like a pen in her pocket, clearly some sort of camera networked by radio. Facial recognition!

Things are a blur but soon I was seated in a smaller room with others at tables filling out long forms. They seemed to be permission agreements for some sort of medical intervention. For what? No idea. Everything is a blur after that. Another "voluntary" "vaccine" being administered?

 

[Pappy]

My Florida drivers and concealed weapons permit which both have my picture on them. Several years ago, I went to get my drivers license renewed. She told me I need to take my glasses off which I refused to do. I told her I’ve worn glasses since I was ten years old and it was part of my identity. She checked with her super and he told her I was right. Score one for Pappy..

 

[jimintoronto]

is anything 'truly' foolproof ?....I don't suppose it is, that's why forgers will always be utilised by certain sections of society. Having said that my wife and I had to visit our lawyer this week for a bit of business he is doing for us and proof of address and who we are were required so presented individual bank statements and a house insurance document all of which showed our names and address. We had a general election last week and for the 1st time photo ID was required at the polling station. They accepted our OAP bus passes which were obtained when we turned 60 and had to produce documents showing our names & address.

Are you saying that in the UK voters do NOT have to prove they are CITIZENS of the UK ? Surely a "bus pass " is NOT a proof of citizenship ? Here in Canada in order to vote, you MAY be asked to prove that you are a Canadian citizen, by producing one of 3 forms of identification, a Canadian passport, OR a Canadian Citizenship Card , OR a certified Canadian birth certificate, supported by a photo ID card such as a Driver's License with your name date of birth and home address on it.

Canada maintains a national Voter's List, as do each of the Provinces and Territories. If you move, the next time you file your annual income tax return, with a new home address, that change of address is sent to Elections Canada to update their list of voters.

 

[debodun]

I experienced that when I tried to put in a claim on my uncle's (father's brother) estate. I had my birth certificate and my father's and uncle's death certificate. The estate attorney said that wasn't enough to prove the relationship. I asked what more was needed. He said he needed copies of my paternal grandparents, father's and uncle's birth certificates, my grandparents marriage certificate, my father's birth certificate and any birth (if living) and death (if deceased) certificates of other relatives of my uncles (I have 3 cousins on that side of the family with which I would have to split the $12000). Hardly seemed worth the trouble for $3000. I spend almost that trying to find and get copies. That's probably why my other cousins never claimed the estate.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

I lost my wallet with my driver's license and credit cards. I had to prove I was me, in order to get another license. I had my passport, but that expired, so it couldn't be used. Try proving you're you. It was a ******* hassle. Fortunately, someone dropped my wallet (minus $300) in the mail. I got my license and cards back. I immediately got a duplicate driver's license. I'm not going through that, again.

 

[David777]

I'll add that when I applied for a California REAL ID besides bringing in a stack of ID documents, the DMV also fingerprinted me so that could be cross referenced to my military and FBI fingerprinting. Of, course the only time fingerprinting is actually going to be looked at is if one commits a serious crime or for security clearances and not for just applying for drivers licenses.