List of the Most Common Falsified Identity Documents in 2022

List of the Most Common Falsified Identity Documents in 2022

In the digital age, identity verification and document security have become paramount concerns. A recent analysis of data and expert insights reveals the 10 most commonly forged documents worldwide, which are crucial for identity verification, travel, employment, financial transactions, and legal residency.

1. Passports, driver's licenses, and national and regional ID cards top the list, despite the rise of digital verification technologies. These traditional physical documents remain major targets for forgery, as noted in efforts fighting ID fraud using AI techniques such as behavioral anomaly detection, biometric verification, and document verification.
2. Birth certificates, social security cards or numbers, credit cards and bank documents, visas and residence permits, academic certificates and diplomas, work permits and employment documents, and insurance documents follow closely. These documents are often altered, copied, or completely fabricated to enable unlawful activities like identity theft, illegal immigration, financial fraud, or counterfeit financial transactions.
3. Counterfeit cash and payment-related documents are also frequently forged and intercepted globally, reflecting the ongoing challenge in financial fraud. Additionally, data breaches involving personal information that could be used to forge identity documents have surged, emphasizing the scale of identity and document fraud risks worldwide.
4. Forgery is a federal crime in all states of the United States, punishable by different penalties including up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $25K, probation, and restitution. In the UK, penalties for forgery include fines, up to ten years in prison, or both, depending on the offense and types of documents forged.
5. To combat this global issue, the most efficient way to detect forged documents is to use special document verification software. In Germany, forgery is punishable by imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine. In India, the electronic ID card, the Aadhaar, can be printed on paper and has minimal security features.
6. To protect against forgeries, businesses should implement a reliable document screening system that checks document security features and detects signs of graphic editing. In some countries, national ID cards have fewer security features than documents intended for international travel, making them easier to forge.
7. Fraudsters choose to fake documents from certain countries based on existing loopholes, document security levels, and how often fraud occurs in a given jurisdiction. For example, in 2022, the most forged document was the Vietnamese ID card. Some countries have legal loopholes that allow forgers to go unprosecuted if they cannot be proven to have planned to use or sell the fake documents.
8. The most common types of forgery include free hand simulation, traced forgery, and digital manipulation. Digital manipulation has been on the rise in recent years, but there are software solutions available to keep you safe.
9. Personal data privacy awareness varies globally, with Europe having stricter regulations like the GDPR compared to other parts of the world. Only half of the 54 countries in Africa have introduced data protection laws.
10. More than 50% of all fraud detected worldwide is attributed to five countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, Nigeria, and the USA. In some countries, forgery is punishable by imprisonment, fines, or both.

In conclusion, identity and official government-issued documents top the list of most commonly forged materials worldwide, followed closely by financial and academic credentials. These are the core documents that fraudsters manipulate for illicit gains globally. It is crucial for governments, businesses, and individuals to stay vigilant and take necessary measures to protect against document forgeries.

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