Michigan woman reportedly gets new state ID in the mail. Then she says she looked closely at the picture: ‘I see some doggone man’

No one likes dealing with driver’s license or ID issues. Lanita Nelson went through a lengthy application process for a new Michigan enhanced driver’s license. She expected her card to feature her own photo and information. Instead, she allegedly saw a man’s face printed in the lower-right corner.

Nelson said she looked more closely at the card. She noticed an unfamiliar face and realized that the date of birth also didn’t match. She searched online and found that other Michigan residents had received cards with the same image.

Nelson’s experience came after what she described as a second attempt to complete the enhanced-license process. Complications from a serious health issue forced her into the hospital, causing her to miss her first appointment. “I’m thinking I’m done, and I see some doggone man,” Nelson told CBS News Detroit.

Michigan officials tracked the problem to a vendor.

Reportedly, the mistake affected about 8,200 Michigan residents who applied for or renewed an enhanced driver’s license or state ID. Affected cards came from a batch printed Aug. 26, 2026. Idemia, the state’s card vendor, reportedly made the printing error.

The state confirmed that the image and date of birth didn’t belong to another resident. Instead, the photo came from a sample image. The vendor used it to show what an enhanced license looks like. The state confirmed that the issue did not compromise data or personal privacy. In other strange driver’s license news, a New York woman recently claimed she found her neighbor’s ID in her yard, and she didn’t know how it got there.

When Nelson received the new card, the unexpected image left her questioning whether she could use it as identification. “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,” Nelson told CBS News Detroit. “So I have to figure this out.”

The Michigan Department of State said residents who received affected cards do not need to report the problem or request replacements. “We have already sent new, corrected cards to everyone who received a misprinted license or ID. People who got a misprinted license don’t have to take any action at this time because they will automatically get a new card in the mail,” chief communications officer for the Michigan Department of State Angela Benander told Click2Detroit.

Residents who need identification while waiting for a replacement can print a temporary license or ID. This can be done through the Secretary of State’s website or at a branch office. Anyone whose previous license or ID remains valid can continue using it for travel.

This can be important. A Louisiana man reported issues boarding a Carnival cruise ship because they claimed he had the incorrect ID. He changed his vacation plans and spent time in New Orleans instead.