Jeremy Engelbrecht, founder and managing director, SoftiDoc.
As digital onboarding becomes more common, verifying that an identity document is genuine is just as important as confirming the identity details it contains. Softidoc is using hologram verification to add another layer of security to the know-your-customer (KYC) process.
Optically verifiable devices (OVDs), such as the holograms found on South African identity documents and passports, provide a way to assess whether a document presented during onboarding is authentic, explains Jeremy Engelbrecht, founder and managing director of SoftiDoc. “While identity numbers and bar code data can be checked, hologram verification helps establish whether the physical document itself is genuine.”
Softidoc’s solution allows a customer to complete the process remotely through a web application accessed via an SMS link. Using their smartphone, the customer is prompted to illuminate and move the ID document so the system can examine the hologram’s reflection and determine whether it behaves like that of an original document.
This can help flag attempts to use photographs, scanned copies or images displayed on a computer monitor instead of an original ID document.
Engelbrecht says: “Combined with checks of the information extracted from the document, bar code verification and liveness checks that help establish the presence of a real person, hologram verification adds another checkpoint to the KYC process. Together, these measures help organisations establish whether they are dealing with a real person presenting a genuine identity document.”
The technology has applications wherever identity verification is required, including financial services, loan applications and digital customer onboarding. By enabling customers to complete checks from home, organisations can strengthen identity verification without necessarily requiring an in-person visit.
For businesses seeking to reduce identity fraud while making onboarding more convenient, hologram verification offers an additional means of assessing document authenticity as part of a broader, multi-layered KYC process.