Document Verification
A method of digitally verifying the validity of a document by collecting, analyzing, and comparing data from the document with authoritative document standards and preexisting data on file.
Document verification is a key step in identity verification and a process required by Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations in many countries around the world. Document verification has three main steps: document collection, data extraction, and document validation.
During the document collection step, the identity document (typically a driver’s license or passport) is “collected” electronically, usually through a photo (or multiple photos) being taken or uploaded. The system then analyzes the image, checking for image quality, evidence of tampering, and to ensure that the necessary information for verification is present. This step can also be completed using near field communication (NFC) if the document is enabled.
Once the images are approved, data extraction takes place. Once the data is extracted, the information within the identity document is compared with personally identifiable information (PII) previously supplied by the user during the first part of the onboarding process or a previous interaction – like their full name, date of birth, address, email, phone number, or identification number. The identity document data may also be compared to information found on identity fraud watchlists to ensure the identity of the user is real and genuine, and can even be checked against barcodes on the document itself to ensure that the printed data matches the barcode data and data standards for that document. If the user information does not match up, or discrepancies are found, the user may be rejected from the account creation process or asked to supply more information to prove their identity.
The third and final step of document verification validates if the provided identity document is authentic. Checks performed on the document, which could number in the hundreds but take place in mere seconds, may include analyzing special features (watermarks, holograms, foils, textures, stamps), document completion, and checking for evidence of tampering (including image replacement and colorspace, which is the lighting, color, shadow, texture, etc. present in a document). Once these checks are complete and the document is determined to be valid, the user can continue the onboarding process.
Document verification is one of the original ways of validating the identity of a person. Its technology has become more and more sophisticated over the years and continues to be a mainstay of any organization’s CIAM (Customer Identity and Access Management) security strategy. Daon uses advanced document verification technology that we have perfected over 20+ years in our xProof and VeriFLY products to help any organization and its customers stay secure against fraud and participate in a fast, easy, and reliable onboarding experience.
xProof uses document verification to ensure that identity documents are valid, authentic, and unmodified to protect the onboarding process.
VeriFLY uses document verification to ensure that travel documents are authentic, accurate, and complete.Frequently Asked Questions
Can Daon provide document verification solutions for my country?
Yes. We have the ability to process identity documents from all 195 countries. In fact, if you take into account the non-identification legal documents our systems can process, we can verify over 12,000 different types of documents.
Can someone go through the document verification process with a photocopy or print-out of an ID?
No. While our system can be set, at the discretion of the organization, to accept pre-captured photos of an identity document, images must be of the actual document and not a copy.