An American motorist's attempt to lie about his name to a police officer failed - because it was tattooed on his neck.

The Star Tribune reports that Darnell Frazier, 25, and a friend were pulled up by a police officer in St Paul, Minnesota.

Frazier told the officer he had never had a photo ID and claimed his name was Darnell Lewis.

The officer, however, noticed that the man had "Frazier" tattooed in large letters on the side of his neck.

Police spokesperson Peter Panos said Frazier was arrested on four misdemeanour warrants, including driving while disqualified and no proof of insurance.

He also had at least two outstanding arrest warrants, a probation violation for bringing a stolen vehicle into Minnesota and a failure to appear in Hennepin County on a drug charge. - Ananova.com