South African Fraud Prevention Service launches shared imposter voicebank

In an effort to lower fraudulent transactions in local call centers, The South African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) is launching a shared imposter voicebank which it will initially pilot with select participants before rolling out across the country, according to a report by IT Online.

SAFPS is partnering on the initiative with voice biometric authentication solutions firm, OneVault.

“Voice biometrics is an authentication solution that is similar to a fingerprint in that it represents an individual’s biological construct and is therefore difficult to emulate,” said Paul Hutton, OneVault CEO. “Thus, with a combination of two or all factors — commonly known as multi-factor authentication –it’s more difficult to commit fraud.”

Hutton added that “voice authentication is as accurate as a fingerprint and eliminates the need for an individual to be physically present to conclude a secure transaction.”

Using voice biometrics, SAFPS will be able to automatically cross-reference each call with the shared imposter voicebank and alert an agent if a voice on a call matches against the “watchlist”.

The solution also features liveness detection functionality to detect when artificial voice production or voice manipulation occurs.

“In the case where a legitimate customer is calling, the agent is able to identify the customer quickly and securely through a matched voice print, thus vastly improving the customer experience and overall contact centre efficiency,” says Hutton.

SAFPS is encouraging all its members to participate in the pilot to gain access to the recordings of known imposter calls. The organization will upload imposter voices onto the single shared database, which will then be distributed or used to trigger alerts inreal time.

“SAFPS has identified an innovative application to combat fraud through contact centres,” Hutton said. “Most fraud cases touch a contact centre at least once. The implementation of a shared imposter voicebank will have a substantial impact on combating this type of fraud. We will run a pilot for six months to enable us to apply necessary considerations to comply with South African regulations.”

Manie van Schalkwyk of SAFPS echoed Hutton’s remarks and vowed that the organization and OneVault would work together to “eradicate fraud in South Africa.”

“We decided to partner with OneVault to assist in the fight against fraud as they bring exciting new technology in voice biometrics,” she said.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  fraud prevention  |  identity verification  |  OneVault  |  South Africa  |  voiceprints