3 Top Tips for Identifying Fake Documents
May 1, 2019
Traditional methods of verifying a customer’s identity are very much still alive. Manual checks of identity documents are still widely used by a variety of different sectors in an attempt to prevent fraud, but how can fake documents be identified to ensure they don’t pass the test?
Manual identity verification checks are not just time consuming, but also produce a lengthy and clunky onboarding process for your customers. How can we identify fake documents in an automated and simpler manner?
1. Check for obvious mistakes
This one may seem simple, but check for obvious mistakes – some fraudsters aren’t too good and can make simple mistakes! These could be anything from a simple spelling mistake to inconsistencies in typefaces.
2. Look for unusual formatting
Another easy error to spot could be some strange formatting or text that’s seen to be more blurry than the rest of the document. If a document has been scanned into a computer and then edited, the edited text will more often than not appear different to the original text.
3. Check documents against official databases
A more lengthy way to check whether a document is fake or not is to check the document against an official database. Some countries will have an official database that you will be able to check for validity on identity documents against. This will inevitably take longer than your average check, but it will ensure that you are battling against fraudsters.
How Can This Be Prevented?
Although manual checks can be pretty accurate, they may not always catch out the fake documents.
Automating the process can help with this and also speed up your identity verification checks for a customer, utilising OCR technology to read the documents.
How We Can Help
Here at Acuant, we’ve a comprehensive family of KYC and AML solutions all working together and delivered via a single API integration. Utilising all forms of data, this integrated approach helps increase pass rates in countries all over the world, which in turn increases revenue and customer acquisition with real-time onboarding, creating a better customer experience.
Our global ID, KYC & AML platform, Sodium, is designed to help save you time and money, streamline your customer journey, automate your onboarding process, reduce fraud and achieve regulatory compliance. One simple integration; a flexible 360° solution which is scalable and secure.
A unique and real-time ID scoring system intelligently verifies identity through a combination of data sources, including digital footprint verification, document authentication, facial recognition matching, liveness verification, live utility data address verification and CRA identity checks.
Utilise a single element or multiple processes – it’s entirely up to you. Learn more about how we can help to automate and simplify your verification processes to help you to learn more about your customers.
Book a demo today and see for yourself how powerful our suite of solutions are.
