"Who is this man?" 8,200 Michigan residents receive misprinted IDs, driver licenses

Thousands of Michigan residents have someone else's face on their newly issued enhanced driver's licenses or state identification cards due to a vendor printing error.

The Michigan Department of State says approximately 8,200 cards were misprinted after an error by its vendor, Idemia. The problem affected a batch of licenses and IDs printed Aug. 26, and corrected cards are already in the mail.

The cards display a generic stock photo and date of birth in the lower right-hand corner instead of the cardholder's information. State officials stress that the incorrect information does not belong to another Michigan resident.

Lanita Nelson noticed the mistake after receiving her first enhanced driver's license.

"I kept looking and I was like, 'That's a man in the bottom corner,'" Nelson said. "And I keep looking, and he's smiling. I'm like, 'What's going on?'"

She then noticed the birth date next to the picture was not hers.

"There is a whole Black man's face down on the bottom right of my license with a fake birthday; January 12, '67," Nelson said. "I'm like, 'No, this doesn't apply to me. This can't be right.'"

Nelson turned to Google to find out who the mystery man was.

"I did a Google search and said, 'Who is this man on my enhanced license?'" she said.

Her search showed that other Michigan residents had received similar cards. The photo was not of another customer, but an image typically used as an example of what an enhanced license looks like. The mistake was especially frustrating for Nelson because this was her second attempt to complete the process. She said she missed her first appointment after being hospitalized with complications due to a sickle cell crisis.

"I'm thinking I'm done, and I see some doggone man," Nelson said. "So I'm like, 'Oh great, now I have to go back.'"

Beyond the surprise and humor of seeing a stranger's face, Nelson said the error raised serious concerns about whether she could safely use the license.

"If I show this to the police, and I mess around and get pulled over, they are going to try to take me to jail," she said. "So I have to figure this out."

The Michigan Department of State says corrected cards have already been mailed to everyone who received a misprinted license or ID. Affected customers do not need to report the error or request a replacement. A corrected card will automatically arrive in the mail.

While waiting, customers can print a temporary license or ID at Michigan.gov/SOS or visit a Secretary of State branch office.

Anyone whose previous license or ID has not expired can continue using that card for travel, according to the state.