How to prevent official documents from being forged, faked, spoofed or tampered with
We are all living in a connected world where most of us spend our time online and our online lives are accessed digitally using protected login information. We’ve become so used to our online information being more important than ever such as online banking accounts and online government tax platforms compared with physical official documents like driving licenses, passports, birth certificates, government identification cards, etc. However, fraudulent physical official documents are a highly valuable market that is not to be ignored.
According to researchers at the University of Portsmouth’s Centre for Counter Fraud Studies and the tax and advisory firm Crowe, Clark and Whitehill state in their “The Financial Cost of Fraud” 2018 report. The global economy is affected by 3.8 trillion USD worth of fraudulent official document transactions, and that number is growing.
Why is document fraud so frequent? How can organisations decrease their damages due to official document fraud?
Firstly, why was official document fraud big in 2020?
Let’s start by defining what official document fraud is; Official document fraud is defined as the “manufacturing, counterfeiting, alteration, sale, and/or use of identity documents and other fraudulent documents to circumvent immigration laws or for other criminal activity” (Reference: Interpol). The term can be used to refer to various criminal activities, such as the publication of altered genuine official government documents as well as the manufacturing of fake official documents that represent authentic official documents.
Official document forgery is popular among counterfeiters because fake official documents can be used in the assignment of multiple crimes. These crimes include money laundering, the distribution of illegal drugs, financial crimes, as well as terrorism and human trafficking.
The increase in official document fraud in 2020 was due to the fact that official documents have become difficult to fake or tamper with, which means when an official document is counterfeited successfully the greater the reward for the criminals who manufactured the fake document. Highly sophisticated biometrics on official documents was promised to be the ultimate anti-counterfeiting solution. Yet, criminal organisations are willing and determined to not let that be the case.
What are the main categories of official document fraud?
There are multiple methods criminal organisations implement to manufacture and publish fake official documents:
- Illegitimate documents: These are completely fake official documents that have features missing from them, such as guilloche patterns and holograms.
- False documents: Different to illegitimate documents, “false documents” refers to when a criminal attempts to identify as the person named in the document by manipulating their own identity or someone that uses an ID that doesn’t belong to them for example, Alejandro Woods uses Alex Woods passport in an attempt to travel abroad.
- Modified documents: These documents are hybrid fakes attempting official document fraud, and are genuine documents that have been altered. Modified documents can include the theft and manipulation of blank documents taken directly from the official manufacturer.
- Image fraud: Image fraud is the process of a criminal providing an institution with an image of the “official document”, instead of providing the official physical documentation. Image fraud is seen when forgers take an image of an official document and change the credentials to that document using computer software such as Photoshop to alter the credentials of the genuine official document to present their own credentials.
How to prevent and detect official document fraud
Official document fraud is becoming more and more sophisticated with that being said. The technology developed to detect fraudulent documents is becoming advanced too. Companies are using the best techniques to stop these criminals and are starting to succeed at it.
Governments and organisations can stay one step ahead of official document counterfeiters with technology stopping these fake documents from being used successfully.
Prevention of official document fraud
The best practice to prevent official document forgery is by developing an increasingly secure document.
This requires an official document to make use of one or a number of different solutions to better secure the document and the information stored on it. One method can include using non-de-laminable polycarbonate for ID documents. That way it is impossible for a counterfeiter to manipulate the information on the document because the layers of the ID card cannot be separated.
Our recommended solution to official document security is the use of overt or covert technologies or both.
Overt official document security is the use of our proprietary anti-copy screen called ProtectCode Plus. The anti-copy screen is cryptographically developed to not read as authentic when copied.
The anti-copy screen of ProtectCode Plus is scanned through our app using an unmodified smartphone. The anti-copy screen can be printed at scale using Digital and UV inkjet printers. Combined with the global dashboard in our YPB Connect platform, you can monitor for fake codes easily using this highly robust brand protection solution.
Covert official document security is the use of our patented microparticle technology in YPB Tracer and MotifMicro.
To protect your official documents with invisible authentication technology we recommend two solutions:
- YPB Tracer: If you want to authenticate your official documents using a scanning device this is the best solution for you. It is compatible with a range of plastics, inks and paper. YPB Tracer can be printed onto your official documents using offset, flexographic, screen, gravure, transfer and letterpress printing.
- MotifMicro: If you want to authenticate your official documents using an everyday smartphone and app, this is the best solution for you. It can be used as an overlaminate or in approved inks or varnishes. MotifMicro can be printed via flexographic, screen, or gravure printing.
YPB Tracer and MotifMicro are verified by SGS to meet FDA contact requirements.
We recommend our technology because it is inexpensive, proven in the market, and seamlessly implemented.
Detection
Detecting your fake documents requires a dedicated team of human expertise and pioneering technology. All of our solutions mentioned above are linked to your global dashboard in YPB Connect, our cloud platform. All of your official documents applied with our technology are monitored through a global dashboard. You can easily set up rules and alerts to notify you of fraudulent activity involving the exploitation of your official document/s. That way a team of investigators can locate the counterfeiter and proceed with the necessary legal action.
Conclusion
Your organisation can be confident that its document security needs are met with one or a mix of our technology solutions implemented onto or into your official documents. Complete official document security can be acquired by using our technology combined with your global dashboard in YPB Connect.
To get your free sample or to learn more about our official document security technology solutions get in touch with us here: https://bit.ly/3xs4uWA
