Verification of identity documents is a key part of Pre-Employment Screening, but with an apparently thriving market in counterfeit identity documents would you be able to spot one? A report published in 2018 by Comparitech outlined the findings of an investigation of pricing for fraudulent identification documents on various illicit marketplaces around the dark web, and discovered that the average price of a digital passport scan was less than $20. Adding in additional matching proof of address documentation was easily obtained for under $100.
As part of your Pre-Employment Screening, you will frequently be checking physical documents, but how can you be sure that what you have in your hand is genuine?
Fortunately, the CPNI publish a useful guide to Pre-Employment Screening Document Verification which provides a wealth of practical advice on what to look for, from Security fibres to Watermarks and even physical covers and end papers (hint – a UV light source might be handy!). Of course many documents you will be reviewing will not contain such advanced features (for example your last Gas Bill didn’t include any gold blocking!), but there are still indicators you can look for, such as the print quality of the company logo.
Checking identity documents issued by EU member states? If so, The Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO) offers online resources to help you identify the genuine article here.