Peeling sides, bumps on lamination, ragged edges, misspelling or missing watermarks — are all signs of fake IDs. While it seems like an innocent crime, using fake identity documents is a crime, and businesses need to take responsibility not to allow such documents into their systems, especially if they’re operating in a high-risk industry, such as fintech or iGaming, or provide age-restricted services, like adult-only content or selling alcoholic beverages.
Online retailers risk their reputation and juggle a fine line between security and ethical norms when they employ tactics like age gating or implementing simple checkboxes to approve one’s age instead of asking buyers to upload an ID document. This leaves room for interpretation and lies. Even when asking the person for their document, you need to be sure that you’re accepting a legit ID and not a forgery.
Unfortunately, there are still a bunch of non-compliance cases where companies fail to spot fake IDs and accept fraudulent accounts that can later conduct serious fraud on their platforms, such as taking out loans without ever repaying them or conducting affiliate fraud on e-commerce marketplaces.
So, what are the main red flags, and how can you spot a fake ID? We look into various examples across different states below.
Why Do People Fake IDs?
The most common reason why someone would show you a fake ID is that they’re trying to buy an age-restricted item and they’re underage. This happens all the time, especially in areas where the legal drinking age is 21, and many young people want to bypass security to get into clubs. Now, as many services shift online, some states are implementing stricter verification requirements on dating apps, for example.
Some users are hesitant to upload their IDs and share personal information on such apps due to some historical narratives. For example, adult dating apps and crypto platforms have a history of prioritizing user anonymity, making users even less comfortable with disclosing personal details. Most legit crypto platforms require IDs and ask their users to upload their government-issued documents before granting them access to their wallets.
Similarly, marketplaces like Vinted ask for IDs for reverification purposes or for utility bills as proof of address (PoA) before confirming any changes to a user’s profile, such as updating their email address to prevent account takeover (ATO) attacks. The same principle applies to gambling sites, where, in extreme cases, minors try to access online casinos and similar games, which makes ID document checks vital.
Immigration, employment, and education also face the same issue regarding fake IDs and other documents. For example, sometimes students struggle to access scholarships or don’t have the right visas to study abroad, so they fake their personal information, including IDs.
Related: Top 5 Identity Verification Measures [For Beginners]
What are the Most Common Fake IDs?
There are different types of fake IDs. The most common examples include:
1. Forged IDs
This is the type of ID document that is completely fabricated and represents a fake identity. In simple terms, it’s a forgery made from scratch, which aims to deceive ID verification systems or in-person document checks. Bad actors use counterfeit materials made-up names to successfully forge an ID and mimic other important details, like watermarks and barcodes. Forged IDs can also be classified into two categories: fully-forged and front-forged IDs, where only the front of the ID is made to look authentic.
2. Altered IDs
This type means that a real ID document was modified and changed a little but not fabricated entirely, as opposed to a forged ID. For example, minors often change their birthday and, this way, try to access tobacco or alcohol products online. The rest of the information remains unedited. Sometimes, a user might change their address information in order to avoid providing the real one, or they might change their location and not have the right proof of address documentation that would show their identity and current residential address.
3. Stolen IDs
This is the type of identity fraud where experienced scammers phish for personal information online and trick their victims into sending them copies of ID documents or other personal information, like SSNs, in order to conduct further financial crimes, such as loan fraud. Sometimes, criminals also use the dark web to buy stolen information, including IDs. Additionally, there are cases where family members steal or “borrow” their relative’s IDs and use them to access financial platforms and other online services.
What are the Key Features for Spotting a Fake ID?
A legitimate ID is issued by the government, which ensures that the provided document has all of the needed security features, such as microprints or holograms. This is to guarantee that the IDs are hard to replicate and won’t get into fraudsters’ hands as a tool to conduct crime.
However, it’s just easy on paper but hard in practice. You need to develop an eye for detail and master the key red flags when it comes to detecting fake IDs. Missing elements, poorly designed watermarks, a suspicious barcode design, and other misalignments are just the beginning. Of course, certain signs, like the cardholder being nervous about the check, can signal that their document is forged.
Other security elements that a legitimate ID document in different states should have include:
Laser Perforation
Perforation, or a security feature that is found in official forms of identification, is a structure of tiny holes that have a certain shape, depending on the state. In general, perforations can be created manually or by a laser, which isn’t easily visible unless carefully examined under direct sunlight. Laser perforations are designed with the help of a laser beam. This technology helps create well-shaped holes that are smooth and don’t have any ridges.
Designs vary, depending on the form and the type of ID document, but the holes can have rounded, triangular, star, or square shapes. For example, Kansas has a turtle-shaped perforation design on its driver’s license.
Format and Size
Each state has its own rules and mandatory features for ID formats, so it’s important to be familiar with the specific requirements in the area where you work. For example, Virginia’s IDs have different formats depending on the cardholder’s age. Cards issued to people aged 15–21 are vertical and have a dogwood flower background. In the meantime, ID cards that are issued to people 21 and over are horizontal with a state capitol background.
In general, most IDs are the same size as a standard payment card and follow the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard (3.370 × 2.125 inches).
Related: How to Spot a Fake ID & Protect Your Business
Embossing
All authentic ID documents have some sort of embossing, which has detailed patterns and symbols, showcasing personal information that is visually distinct and represents the person’s state. Many high-security documents, like passports and driver’s licenses, have embossing. Embossing can be achieved using a special laser or coupled with other techniques, such as Optically Variable Ink (OVI).
When looking at the embossing, the color changes under different lighting and the embossed image is visible due to the light and shadows on the raised areas. Under direct light, fake embossing can look a bit blurry and remain the same color instead of changing colors. Most financial cards also use embossing as part of the global regulatory compliance standards, and to make them harder to counterfeit.
Holographic Details
One of the most well-known features of any ID document is holographic images that also appear when held to the light. Holograms are optically variable and are designed to create optical effects that change when holding the document in different light or angle.
Like many security features, holograms differ by state and can appear in different forms, for example, diagonally across the front of the ID when tilted to the light. In general, holographic images can also include hidden laser-readable images or micro images that use a reflective layer, like aluminum foil, to reflect a small portion of the natural light.
UV Marks
Ultraviolet, or UV details, are another security feature that is used in ID documentation as a way to prevent forgery. That means only real documents have special UV marks that are seen under UV light. The imagery can be a hidden pattern, text, or photo. For example, California has a lighter UV image of the driver on its driver’s license. If this feature appears to be smudgy, it’s a red flag, signaling that the document might be fake. For this reason, UV fluorescent ink can show up in bright colors when exposed to UV light and be seen under the naked eye.
Laminate
A proper, authentic ID document is always sealed with a high-quality laminate, which is securely attached to protect the ID’s information from falsification. It’s typically not available to the public. Laminate also means that this material isn’t adjustable unless you want to cause visible damage to the document. If the laminate is poor, it should burst and bend into bubbles, showing sharp edges instead of a smooth and seamless finish.
A legitimate laminate should cover the entire card evenly and may extend to both sides, depending on the document type and state. In general, different documents have different surface textures, which impacts the laminate’s features: it can be both glossy and matte.
How iDenfy Can Help You Automate Fake Document Detection
Spotting fake IDs is crucial, and with emerging threats like generative AI, automation is key if you want to balance out effective fraud prevention and a smooth ID verification process, which requires checking one’s ID document.
At iDenfy, we know how to cater to a global audience and can help you onboard users from different markets in languages that they are familiar with. Using white-label options and various plugin integrations, you can customize your KYC flow to meet the highest user experience standards while ensuring all the compliance requirements.
Our software extracts data from an ID in just 0.02 seconds and is compatible with over 3,500 government-issued documents.
For US-based clients, we’ve just launched a newly enhanced Electronic Identity Verification (eIDV) solution, which compares the user’s personal details, such as name, date of birth, and address, with official government databases. eIDV checks this data and returns a result showing whether the information fully matches, partially matches, or doesn’t match the user’s identity.
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