According to one aspect, the detailed technology concerns assessment of the fraud risk presented by an applicant for a driver's license, based on a particular ensemble of information presented by the applicant. For example, certain collateral identification documents presented by the applicant (birth certificate, passport, student body ID card, etc.)—or certain combinations of documents—may be found to have relatively higher or lower historical incidences of fraud associated therewith. Based on such historical insight, the issuing agency can tailor its scrutiny of the applicant accordingly. In one arrangement a score is determined based on the presented information. If it falls below a threshold, extra verification checks can be undertaken, such as querying additional third party databases (credit bureaus, military discharge records, etc.). An automated system may guide the evaluation process, based on the particular ensemble of information presented, and on the results of any database queries.