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RITIKA SHARMA / Emirates Business
When Karen A (32) got a call from a bank that she had a loan of AED29,000 to repay in next two months, she could not understand what went wrong. After taking a sip of water and talking to her husband she found out she was a victim of ‘identity fraud’.
Soon she recalled submitting her passport and Emirates ID photocopies to process her credit card request in the bank but it was turned down as she could not present her salary certificate in time. The same request had then been taken forward and a fraudster had got access to the said loan.
This is not a stray incident as many such thefts are reported every year in the Emirates and worldwide likewise.
“ID fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes on the planet and there is a direct impact on the private sector with substantial financial losses. Reports say that 54 percent of data breaches in 2014 were related to identity theft, while 17 percent aimed at financial access and 11 percent sought account access worldwide,†Jean-Claude Perrin, Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for Gemalto, told Emirates Business.
In order to subdue the number of ID frauds in UAE, Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, is offering Emirate-based private sector enterprises, such as banks and mobile operators, the benefits of its proven expertise in identity fraud protection, via the company’s comprehensive and flexible ID Verification solution.
This fully integrated suite of tools and services enable robust as well as swift verification of customer credentials while opening new accounts, reducing financial losses and the negative impact on brand reputation caused by identity fraud. Gemalto’s ID Verification also helps financial institutions and mobile network operators enhance their Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.
“Gemalto is recognised as the world’s leading provider of secure identity documents for governments, with a document template database covering 170 countries which is a key element of our ID Verification offers. The private sector can leverage our unrivalled experience to protect corporate finances and reputations, without compromising the customer enrollment experience,†said Perrin.
The seamless enrollment process encompasses verification of documents such as ID cards and passports for forgeries and other discrepancies, biometric and/or visual customer authentication, and immediate background and risk assessment checks against relevant databases and watch lists. It can be performed quickly and easily by branch staff using a standard scanner or tablet. Online customers are simply required to photograph their ID credentials, and submit for automatic verification.
ID Verification protects enterprises against the threat of fraudsters opening bank accounts or acquiring subsidised mobile phones, and provides a firm foundation from which to launch innovative new services.
“It can be integrated easily with existing infrastructures and is available as a platform, or in Software as a Service (SaaS) mode to minimise initial investment requirements. ID Verification is also highly scalable, facilitating future-proof growth and evolution in line with individual fraud prevention and business development strategies,†Perrin added.
