Onfido research shows ID documents’ targeted as Experian certified, OCR Labs partners

Identity documents are the weak link in ID verification, and being attacked accordingly, Onfido has found in its latest research.

The company’s 2023 Identity Fraud Report shows fraud in which doctored identity documents are easily spotted grew by 37 percent in 2022. Biometrics were the vector of attack in 83 percent less instances than documents.

The report also shows fraud rings are scaling their attacks by making small changes to produce thousands of variations of the same document as they attempt to create fake accounts. Over 46 percent of document fraud uses national ID cards. Synthetic identity fraud is part of an estimated 85 percent of attacks.

Onfido has released several new tools to its Real Identity Platform to help businesses upgrade their fraud detection, meanwhile. Repeat Attempts flags identity documents submitted previously during onboarding, even with differences in the data presented. Known Faces performs a similar task, but for face biometrics, and Device Intelligence screens for suspicious IP addresses and bots, and checks geo-location and device integrity.

A pair of new developments elsewhere in the industry involve document verification.

Experian certified to DIATF

Experian says it has become the first credit reference agency (CRA) in the UK to be certified as a Digital Identity Service Provider (IDSP) under the country’s Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF).

Thanks to the new certification, the company will be able to provide Right to Work, Right to Rent and DBS checks through its verification technologies. These include Knowledge Based Authentication (KBA) and Document Checking.

“We are delighted to have been recognized as one of the leading providers of verification services in the UK,” comments Eduardo Castro, managing director of identity and fraud at Experian UK & Ireland.

“The framework – and the certification – is a vital step in helping to improve access to digital services for everyone. Millions of people will require Right to Rent and Right to Work checks this year, as well as access to other services.”

According to the executive, being a Certified IDSP with several verification approaches means the company can help more consumers access digital services, verify their identities easily and securely, and give confidence to both organizations and individuals.  

“The certification is a result of much hard work by the team and acknowledges our ongoing commitment to the very highest standards in compliance and regulatory requirements,” Castro concludes.

The recognition comes a couple of months after Experian was awarded two separate contracts to provide digital ID infrastructure services in the UK, covering fraud checks and notification systems.

More recently, the company partnered with Prove to launch a new passwordless login and omnichannel authentication tool.

OCR Labs and fyio partner to improve document verification

Also in the UK, another IDSP has announced a new partnership. OCR Labs, certified under the DIATF in October, is now joining forces with document verification provider fyio.

The companies said the collaboration would focus on increasing the security of anti-money laundering (AML) measures when verifying passports and other documents before sharing them with professional and financial services providers.

Further, OCR Labs and fyio will jointly create a secure document-sharing service named fyio Pro that will be launched in early 2023. The solution will enable users to store documents and verify them directly via OCR Labs Global technology before sharing them with interested parties via the fyio ecosystem.

“We saw in fyio a stand-out new life and document management solution, not predicated on accessing huge amounts of cloud storage but focused on solving a real-life problem: specifically providing a compass to guide people through modern life’s complexities, simply and securely,” says OCR Labs General Manager Russ Cohn.

“We are excited to take this partnership to new levels and become the go-to service for professional and financial service providers.”

OCR Labs has also recently joined the Open Identity Exchange (OIX) alongside OkularID.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  certification  |  DIATF certification  |  Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF)  |  document verification  |  Experian  |  fraud prevention  |  KYC  |  OCR Labs  |  onboarding  |  Onfido