New report from the Secure Identity Alliance offers in-depth guidance on fighting back against passport fraud

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May 06, 2021, 09:00 ET

Blending detailed analysis of the current document fraud landscape with a comprehensive guide to emerging defensive technologies, the Secure Identity Alliance "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report serves as an in-depth resource for issuing authorities and border control bodies alike

PARIS, May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With cross-country and international travel starting on a gradual path back to pre-pandemic volumes, the Secure Identity Alliance (SIA) has today launched an all-encompassing look at travel document security in the form of its new "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report.

"As with any kind of document fraud, passport fraud is a serious crime that ultimately serves as a foundation for much bigger threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, and drug smuggling," says Philippe Barreau, Chairman of the Board at the SIA. "One of our greatest priorities at the Secure Identity Alliance is ensuring that relevant authorities are armed with the latest information to counter those dangers at the source. This report is testament to that responsibility."

The "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report is available in two different versions – one designed for a general audience, and one written specifically for border authorities and law enforcement agencies. While the first version is available on SIA website, the latter of the two includes a range of exclusive insights into emerging fraud trends and ways to combat them; it will be distributed by Interpol for the purposes of security.

The "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report has been written and published by the SIA's dedicated Secure Document Working Group and the content therein was sourced from organisations including France's National Document and Identity Fraud Office, Central directorate of border police, and Interpol's Counterfeit Currency & Security Documents (CCSD) Branch.

"Some 100 million travel documents were reported lost or stolen in 2020^[1]," says Joachim Caillosse, Chair of the SIA Secure Documents Working Group. "And according to Frontex Risk Analysis, passports represented 47% of the fraudulent documents detected at European Union external borders in 2019. From semi-professional forgers and counterfeiters to well-equipped, highly sophisticated criminal networks, those responsible for safeguarding their borders now need to fend off an ever-expanding array of threats. To do that, they need to design and issue travel documents that are advanced enough to deter even the most determined and capable of fraudsters."

While the "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report offers authorities a range of guidance on the tools and techniques that can be employed in the fight against document fraud, it also acknowledges the importance of ensuring that legitimate bearers can still enjoy a frictionless travel experience.

"While the security of travel documents is of paramount importance, authorities also need to be sure that passengers are not delayed unduly and that frontline controllers can quickly and easily verify the authenticity of a document and if the holder is the legitimate one. It's a fine balance, and one that we aim to address as part of this paper", Caillosse concludes.

The public version of the "Passport Fraud Trends and Ways to Combat Them" report is available for download now from the SIA website here.

The restricted, more explicit, version of this guide is limited to law enforcement agencies and authorities. It is accessible on the web page of the INTERPOL Travel and ID Documents Reference Centre, access to which is governed by strict rules and regulations. If you work for police, border control agency, immigration or other relevant governmental authority, please contact INTERPOL's Counterfeit Currency and Security Documents Branch for more details: [email protected]

These critical issues will be discussed in depth at a free webinar running at 14:30 BST / 15:30 CET / 09:30 EDT on Thursday 6th May 2021. Register here.

Note to Editors:

About the Secure Identity Alliance

Secure Identity Alliance is dedicated to supporting the provision of legal, trusted identity for all, and to drive the development of inclusive digital services necessary for sustainable, worldwide economic growth and prosperity.

We believe legal, trusted identity is the cornerstone of rights protection, social inclusion and digital economic development - and the access point to a wide range of essential public and private services.

We bring together public, private and non-government organizations to foster international collaboration on the issues of legal identity, to help shaping policy and to provide technical and implementation guidance for national and international ID systems.

Its Board Members are Idemia, IN Groupe, Thales and Veridos.

For more information on the Secure Identity Alliance, visit: www.secureidentityalliance.org.

Follow the Secure Identity Alliance at @secureidentity1

Press Contact: Stéphanie de Labriolle [email protected]

[1] https://www.interpol.int/How-we-work/Databases/Stolen-and-Lost-Travel-Documents-database

SOURCE Secure Identity Alliance