News
IDscan’s Visage receives US Patent to conquer fraudsters’ ability to create fake IDs
February 2017 by Marc Jacob
Documents, names and signatures can all be relatively easily forged but there is one thing an identity fraudster can’t easily change and that is their face. The most recent acquisition by GBG, IDscan, has been granted a US Patent for Visage, a unique way of verifying the facial component of a passport or ID card. It does this by checking against a databank of faces acquired from proven fake, forged or altered documents.
“The production of fake documents is an industry all of its own now,” commented Tamlyn Thompson MD of IDscan. “IDscan has always strived to stay one step ahead of the criminals to ensure that our global customers are properly protected. Our authentication software has removed vast numbers of fake documents from circulation, however, the determined and well financed fraudster will simply acquire a replacement within days. The fraudster’s new document may have completely new credentials, but one element will stay the same: the photograph. That’s why we have developed a facial recognition system which catalogues these ‘fake faces’ and allows the IDscan system to cross check the new identity document provided against this catalogue. If we find a match, the customer is alerted in less than a second.
IDscan, which was acquired by GBG in June 2016, provides document authentication and facial recognition solutions to banks, airlines, government departments and retailers across the world. GBG offers a range of identity data intelligence solutions to support compliant disruption of business models by helping with the capture, verification and analysis of data about people.
Nick Brown, Group Managing Director at GBG stated: “This patent gives GBG and IDscan the go-ahead to focus on this important area. We need to stop fraudsters from simply moving from one organisation to the next simply by creating a new identity document. Document forgery is a sophisticated business. We will be able to extend protection to our customers by recognising a known fraudster’s face where ever they choose to use it.”
