Identity Verification Service : Identity document checker

Identity document checker

Check your customers' identity documents remotely

ID document verification confirms the legitimacy of an identity document such as a passport, a national identity card or a driving licence. By carrying out a series of automatic or manual checks the authenticity of the relevant document is verified. In fact, this verification includes checking the documents’ integrated security features. For maximum efficiency, identity documents should be checked by professionals trained in forgery detection.

ID document checker can be carried out :

Based on the ID itself. As far as possible, this approach should be preferred as it allows for more precise checks and the use of specialized tools (ultraviolet light, etc.).

Based on one or more images of the document. This is the most common approach when the control is done remotely (during online verification for example). Or when it is delegated to a centralized team of specialists.

Evolution of ID document check :

Verification of identity documents is not really a recent practice.

ID documents have been photocopied, scanned, faxed and checked for decades by companies collecting them through ad hoc procedures.

But in practice, these procedures differ from those offered by specialized companies. And in particular those offered by IDCheck.io in terms of customer experience, expertise and ability to effectively detect false documents.

How does ID document verification work?

When a document is submitted to a verification service, an automatic processing chain is executed. This is how our identity document checker works.

Document classification

The document type may be recognized automatically. Otherwise, it must be indicated to the service before the verification begins.

Data
extraction

The informations on the document holder and the document itself are extracted from the identity document.

Identity Document check

This is the verification step itself during which we check the security features of the document.

Automated and real-time response

A verification report is produced. The results of the analysis are sent back to the client in less than 12 seconds.

Why use identity document checker ?

While most online businesses are not legally required to check the identity of their customers, they may need to do so all the same to combat fraud more effectively.

Some sectors are constrained by regulations. Such as financial services, online gambling or any activity that is legally required to check the age of its customers.

Identity document checker can confirm details that are essential to comply with regulations. Such as KYC (Know Your Customer), AML (Anti-Money Laundering), PEP (Politically Exposed Person) and CFT (Countering the Financing of Terrorism) requirements.

The supported identity documents

Many documents can be used to prove a customer’s identity. Such as an identity card, citizenship card, passport, visa, residence permit, driving license or even professional cards such as flight attendants’ cards.

In general, these are documents issued by a trusted authority. Generally, a government or a recognized international organisation, though the task can indeed be delegated.

They contain the identity of the holder : full name, date of birth, possibly parentage, address, etc. And also biometric information (photo, fingerprints etc.) to link the identity to the person.

ID document checker : An effective way to fight fraud

An identity document is issued following a carefully designed and checked process. Indeed, it aims to ensure that the document is produced on behalf of the right person and given to the right person.

This process is naturally subject to attacks by criminals who attempt to use fraud. Their purpose is to obtain identity documents containing their biometric characteristics associated with an invented identity or, even more importantly, the identity of an existing person (identity theft).

Commonly used identity documents also vary from one country to another. In some countries, possession of an identity document (passport or identity card) is mandatory, while in others it is not. Each country’s situation displays wide contrasts even within Europe.

The most common identity documents

Passport

National identity card

Residence permit

Driving license

Health insurance card

The security features of ID documents

There are many techniques for securing identity documents. And it is not unusual for a single document to implement many features to discourage or hinder criminal activity. That is why we will just present here the main security features.

MRZ (Machine-Readable Zone)

Found on many documents, the MRZ represents the strip of one to three lines of characters. Chevrons are used to fill in the blank spaces. The strip contains the document information in coded form. This includes the holder’s identity, date of birth, document expiry date, document number, etc. It also has the advantage of containing several checksums that can provide additional useful checks.

Special inks

Whether it is fluorescent, fugitive, iridescent, metallic, optically variable, photochromic, penetrating or thermochromic, ink plays a very important role in securing an identity document.

Special fonts

The use of special fonts that cannot be found in the public domain is an additional security feature.

Bar codes or 2D bar codes

Bar codes have been used on identity documents for several years. First one-dimensional, they are now two-dimensional, often in PDF417 format. The 2D-DOC code invented by ARIADNEXT has been presented to the ICAO and studies are being carried out on its adoption for some identity documents

Printing methods

The methods used to print the document background or personalise the document are important security features. Even though it is often difficult to verify them with the naked eye : offset, intaglio printing, typography, screen printing for the background, inkjet or laser printing, or thermal transfer for personalisation.

Microprinting

Printing a text extremely small, difficult to reproduce precisely enough with a traditional printer. It is a fairly effective security feature.

Embedding a contact or contactless chip

Embedded into the body of a polycarbonate card or the cover of a passport, an electronic chip adds a high level of security to the document. It also provides extra features such as the possibility of checking the holder’s fingerprints.

Elements that respond with special lighting or at a specific angle

This category includes patterns sensitive to ultraviolet light, patterns that disappear under infrared light, holograms, fluorescent plates, etc.

Depending on the quality of the images uploaded for analysis, the IDCheck.io service uses algorithms that can verify the most relevant security features./p>