That picture on your Indiana driver's license will be part of a pilot program beginning this month to battle the nation's fastest-growing crime: identity theft.

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles will test face-recognition technology at three undisclosed branches during mid-November in Indianapolis, said Dennis Rosebrough, BMV communications director.

The program was designed to prevent residents from obtaining more than one driver's license or identification card or from stealing someone else's identity. The technology should be at all 140 state branches by the end of the month.

"It's a nationwide issue," Rosebrough said Thursday. "Identity theft and identity fraud are top-of-the-mind issues around the country."

When Indiana residents renew their driver's licenses or state identification cards, BMV workers first visually compare the new photo to the most recent one in the system. "If it's clearly not the same person, the process stops there," Rosebrough said.

If the pictures are the same, a person receives a new license, he said.

A $2.4 million software program will provide a second look.

"At night, the system will do a scan of all of the 6 million-plus photos in the database and match them against all photos to see if your photo is on a credential with a different name," Rosebrough said.

The program from Connecticut-based L-1 Identity Solutions will look for matching points on the face, such as the distance between pupils, and compare those to other images with the same data points, Rosebrough said. The next morning, the BMV will receive a report of any names and faces that are suspect.

"To the public, it will be pretty invisible," Rosebrough said.

About 20 states use the technology, Rosebrough said. The Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies use their own databases but would have access to this one if needed.

The new system doesn't check for identity falsification, such as age discrepancies for people younger than 21, Indiana's legal drinking age. Instead, a separate online verification that started about nine months ago checks names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth.

The cost of the new program will not increase the $19 fee for a driver's license, Rosebrough said. State identification cards will continue to be free of charge.

Business consultant J. Michelle Sybesma, Fishers, wishes this technology had been around when her identity was stolen in the mid-1990s. A gang member, who worked at an Indianapolis hotel's front desk, swiped her information from a job application.

"Facial-recognition software . . . I couldn't be more thrilled they are going that route," Sybesma said. "When your identity is stolen, the burden of proof becomes yours. Facial-recognition software prevents someone from usurping your identity."

Sybesma incurred $30,000 in false charges, her gender was changed to male, and she had to get a new Social Security number.

Now, she's a spokeswoman for the Indiana attorney general's new identity-theft unit. In six months, the unit has recovered more than $415,000 and assisted law enforcement in making three arrests, said spokeswoman Natalie Robinson.

Sybesma meets with nonprofit groups of at least 20 people about once a week to share her story and tell them about prevention efforts. Her Web site, www.getidsmart.com, lists tips on identity protection.

"If I can help prevent it, that's what I want to do," Sybesma said. "It's not what I do for a living. It's my passion. Don't get run over. Get smart about it."