If you’ve rented a car recently, chances are good that your driver’s licence status was verified by VerX Direct as you stood at the counter, completely oblivious.

Rental car companies have been among the first to take advantage of the new Driver Licence Verification service powered by VerX.

Some have built it into their own back offices so they can run a report on a customer and verify their licence status within seconds.

Not only are some rental companies using the service to reduce their liability risk (their insurance may not cover an accident caused by a customer with a suspended licence), they are also able to identify fake licences often used by thieves.

Car thieves will often rent cars using fake ID and then simply not return them. By then, it’s too late for the rental company to prevent the theft.

“The use of the VerX service has had an impact on reducing theft,” Joseph Adamo, president of Dollar Thrifty, said in a release. “Word will get out that we are now checking licences and the car theft rings that target rental companies will avoid our locations. The VerX Direct service provides new technology that is certainly worthy of consideration by the entire industry in Canada.”

Another rental car company ran a report after two of its cars were stolen, and found that in both cases the driver’s licence presented by the customer was fake.

Don’t remember signing a waiver granting the rental company permission to run the check?

Better read the fine print next time -it’s now built right into the standard rental agreement.