Secure identity documents are presented as proof of identity, nationality and status within the UK and for jobs. Document verification is crucial in ensuring that the documents presented are both genuine and presented by the rightful holder. Thousands of fraudulent travel documents are in circulation. However, these documents are not just used for travel, but in any kind of fraud where identity is an issue.
So says the Home Office to open a 68-page guide in the detection of basic forgeries. The guide highlights the main security features present in documents and the main methods used to forge passports, identity cards (such as a police warrant card) and driving licences.
As for equipment, the guide asks whether your processes require the use of any verification tools. Magnifiers and ultraviolet (UV) light sources can aid your ability to detect fraudulent documentation. However, as the document by the Home Office’s National Document Fraud Unit points out, use of equipment will only be effective if the user has a sound understanding of the document and its security features.
The guide goes through the sorts of IDs and passports you may come across before listing some initial checks –
Check the signature – Is the one on the application the same as on the document?
Does the person in front of you look as old or as young as the document indicates?
Does the person have any distinguishing features? And is the person in front of you the rightful holder of the ID – do the features of the face – eyes, ears, nose and mouth – show differences?
The guide then covers security features such as watermarks; security fibres, randomly across the paper; intaglio printing, as on the British passport – the ink having a raised and rough feel which can be felt by running a finger over the paper; and fluorescence, which shines under UV light.
The guide points out that non-EU national nationals may find it easier to pretend to be from an EU country due to language, historical or political similarities.
For the pdf visit the Home Office website.
