Michigan Printed the Same Mystery Man Onto 8,200 IDs
Woopsies! Around 8,200 Michigan residents opened their newly issued enhanced driver’s licenses or state IDs and discovered the same smiling mystery man staring back at them from the lower-right corner.
Before we turn this into a full identity-theft thriller: state officials say the face does not belong to another Michigan resident. It is a generic stock image used as an example on the card design. A vendor printing error caused the wrong image and placeholder information to appear on a batch of cards printed on August 26, 2026.
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Michigan ID Printing Fail
The mystery man was stock art, not another resident. Check Michigan's official services while corrected cards make their way out.
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“Who Is This Man?” Was a Very Reasonable Question
The glitch was especially weird because the cardholder’s main photo was still there. The mystery man’s image appeared as the smaller secondary photo, alongside a generic birth date. Some cards also carried placeholder wording on the back instead of the driver’s actual name.
One Detroit resident, Lanita Nelson, told CBS News Detroit that she kept staring at the card wondering who the smiling man was. Another recipient, Michelle Thomas, said she immediately knew something was wrong when she saw the unfamiliar face printed on hers.
The Michigan Department of State blamed the problem on its card vendor, Idemia, and says corrected cards have already been mailed automatically. Anyone who got one of the misprints does not need to report it or request a replacement.
While waiting, affected residents can print a temporary license or ID through Michigan’s Secretary of State website or visit a branch office. If their previous license or ID has not expired, the state says it can still be used for travel.
So no, there is not some random Michigan man whose face has secretly been cloned onto everybody else’s identity. But for about 8,200 people, there was definitely a brief moment of: “Who the hell is this dude, and why is he on my license?”
Watch the Michigan Driver’s License Printing Error Explained
The short clip breaks down how thousands of Michigan residents received enhanced licenses and IDs carrying the same generic stock image.
Sources: Michigan Department of State; CBS News Detroit; WDIV/CNN.
