The Automated Biometric Identification System was put in place in 2007 to thwart identity theft and document fraud. Using photos, the system plots the locations of eyes, noses, lips, jaw lines, cheekbones and measures the distances between these features, Steier said. People obtaining new licenses are asked to remove glasses and keep a neutral expression when they have photos take to keep from throwing off the mapping program.

These measurements are stored in a database that compares new license and ID photos to others already in the system.

The system flags about 100 potential hits a day out of the 2,000 to 3,000 incoming photos, according to the Department of Transportation. Those hits are passed off to DOT investigators for an eyes-on comparison of the actual photos. If they appear suspicious, they investigate further.

In the last two years, the DOT has initiated 251 cases based on the biometric program, Steier said.

He said the motives for assuming a false identity are numerous. Some are trying to hide from criminal charges or are in the country illegally. In one case, a man had been in the federal witness protection program and had decided to scrap his government-issued alias and return to his real name. The DOT system caught the switch, Steier said.