Combating Modern ID Document Forgery: Threats, Trends, and Solutions
As criminal tactics grow more advanced in the age of digitization, forged identity documents have become an important key in the modern fraud toolkit. Between fake passports and ID cards to synthetically altered documents, bad actors are constantly getting more clever. Meanwhile, many businesses continue to employ traditional (outdated) verification methods that give fraudsters precisely what they want: an easy way in.
While the world has gotten significantly better when it comes to digital onboarding, fraudsters have gotten even better at faking it. And if your ID checks haven’t evolved with the times, you’re more exposed than ever. In this article, we’ll explore how ID documents forgery works, where it’s most common, and how AI-powered solutions like Shufti’s can help protect businesses.
What Is ID Document Forgery?
ID document forgery is the deliberate alteration or fabrication of identification documents with the intent to deceive systems or individuals. This can include swapping photos, modifying names, dates or ID numbers, and using digital editing tools to create near perfect replicas.
Modern forgeries go beyond physical manipulations. With the proliferation of electronic documents, criminals increasingly use electronic forgery techniques, including deepfakes and synthetic identity creation, to bypass digital authentication. The purpose of these forgeries is usually to commit financial crime, evade law enforcement, or gain access to unauthorized services. And while digital manipulation has increased significantly in the past few years, there are software solutions available to keep both individuals and businesses safe.
Document Forgery on the Rise
According to the latest available data, the landscape of identity document forgery has shifted dramatically in the past few years. Digital document forgeries have surged by 244% compared to 2023, and account for 57% of all document fraud cases globally. This rise is largely attributed to the proliferation of fraud-as-a-service (FaaS) platforms that enable amateur fraudsters to create highly convincing forgeries.
National ID cards have become the most targeted documents, representing 40.8% of global attacks. Countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have seen their national identity documents become frequent targets due to the availability of templates online, making them highly susceptible to digital manipulation. In contrast, regions like the UK, France, and Spain report lower rates of ID document forgery, around 25%. But no region remains free from these threats, particularly as falsified documents and their templates are now widely available for purchase on the dark web.
Top Fraudulent Document Types
Fraudsters rely on several types of document forgery techniques:
Counterfeit Documents
These are copies of genuine IDs, made without approval from the issuing authority. If made well, they look convincing but still lack embedded security features.
Forged Documents
Here, real documents are purposefully altered so that photos are replaced, text is altered, or biometric data is edited, in order to misrepresent the identity of the holder.
Pseudo Documents
These mimic legitimate document formats but are not officially issued or recognized. Oftentime scammers will copy design templates and encode false information, making them difficult to spot without advanced verification.
Similarity Fraud / FOG (Fraudulently Obtained Genuine)
In these cases, criminals acquire genuine documents illegally through theft or corruption. Because these documents are genuine, they often pass traditional checks unless further biometric or behavioral analysis is used.
How to Spot and Prevent Document Forgery
As ID document forgery becomes more prevalent and editing tools more sophisticated in the digital age, manual checks are nearly obsolete. Here are some key steps businesses should take to reduce the risk of onboarding fraud:
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- Verify authenticity features: Ensure proper embedded holograms, watermarks, microtext, and government issued seals are present.
- Check expiration and document consistency: Red flags to look out for include mismatched fonts, altered text, and missing data.
- Cross-reference personal details: Validate name, address, date of birth, and document numbers across multiple sources.
- Request multiple forms of documentation: Supplement primary IDs with bank statements, utility bills, or employment letters.
- Implement biometric checks: Utilize facial recognition or liveness detection to ensure the document matches the person presenting it.
- Use AI-powered verification tools: Automated systems can detect signs of manipulation far better than the human eye.
The Legal Consequences of Document Forgery
ID forgery is considered a felony, or equivalent, in nearly all jurisdictions and is treated seriously due to its link to larger crimes like identity theft, financial fraud, and terrorism financing.
United States
Under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, forging federal documents is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or fines of up to $25,000, depending on the severity and context of the crime.
United Kingdom
UK law defines forgery as the act of making “a false instrument, with the intention that he or another shall use it to induce somebody to accept it as genuine”. Depending on the nature of the offence, penalties include up to 10 years in prison, fines, or both.
Germany
Under Section 267 of the German Criminal Code, penalties of producing, altering, or using a forged document with the intent to deceive in legal transactions carries potential fines and imprisonment of up to five years, depending on impact and severity. In cases involving organized fraud or financial harm, sentences can be significantly harsher.
Best Practices for Businesses
To stay ahead of fraud, businesses need a proactive strategy to avoid being targeted by falsified or forged documents. Although criminals are often ahead of the most advanced measures, disasters can be significantly mitigated or even avoided if sufficient measures are implemented correctly. Here’s what to prioritize:
- Invest in a modern document verification system
- Integrate biometric checks and liveness detection
- Ensure cross-border document support
- Train staff to recognize red flags
- Regularly update fraud detection algorithms
- Partner with a trusted verification partner (like Shufti!)
So Why Shufti?
Shufti’s AI-powered ID document verification solution helps businesses detect forgeries in seconds. Using advanced OCR, hologram detection, pattern analysis, and facial recognition, Shufti quickly verifies documents against a global database of over 10,000 document types from 240+ countries and territories.
Our system is designed to catch even the most subtle signs of forgery, down to the pixel level, including deepfake videos and synthetic identities. And with built-in compliance checks, businesses can meet KYC/AML standards without slowing down their onboarding workflows.
Final Thoughts
Forged identity documents aren’t going away. In fact, they are evolving faster than most businesses can possibly keep up. Static checks and outdated processes simply aren’t built for the level of manipulation that fraudsters are deploying now, and in the future.
If your organization relies on document-based identity verification in any way, now is the time to upgrade. AI-powered tools like Shufti offer the speed, scale, and accuracy needed to keep bad actors out and legitimate customers moving forward. Because in today’s fraud landscape, nothing puts you at more risk than doing nothing.
