Everything you need to know about video identification in 2022

Financial industry is becoming increasingly digitised and globally open. As a result, the demand for remote identification procedures  is growing faster than ever.  The goal is to make life easier for you and your customers.

However, while opening running your business globally is great, with this increased reach comes an increased risk of being targeted by fraudsters. There are a lot of scammers out there who are ready and willing to take advantage if they spot even the slightest vulnerability in your system.

What are video identifications?

Video identification, also known as video kyc or video verification, is a quick, convenient and incredibly secure method of verifying your customers identity online. 

Having a secure video identification process in place makes it extremely difficult  to commit any type of identity fraud. It is also a procedure that guarantees the highest level compliance. 

Video identification can also be referred to as:

 

With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that so many businesses are choosing to implement video identification security procedures.

video ident video onboarding video based kyc
videoident video-chat verification KYC through video call
video kyc or vkyc video identity verification video verification of identity

Why using video identification is a good idea

There is a reason why video identification / video onboarding is favoured by countries with the highest regulatory compliance requirements. It simply offers unmatched security when compared to other, more traditional solutions – such as selfie to document checks.

Why can’t I just use automated selfie to document checks?

You can, however keep in mind they might be easier to spoof. Because of that they don’t comply with higher level KYC and AML regulations.

Selfie to document checks are performed by having the user take a picture of their ID document and then a selfie. But it’s important to know that fraudsters get very creative. Sometimes cheating those solutions is as easy as scanning a printout of a photo instead of taking a selfie, using a pre-recorded video, or wearing a special mask.

These types of spoofing would never work on video, especially during a video identification procedure where a trained human verification specialist is present, and where everything is recorded and stored. It would simply look ridiculous.

What is the process of video identification?

Doing KYC on video is quick and easy. Video identifications take approximately 5 to 7 minutes. The process is simple for both your company and your customers. All the end user has to do is have a webcam, an internet connection, and an ID document.

How the video identification process works

The process begins with your customer filling in a registration form on your website (in the usual manner).

The details are then automatically sent to us at Fully-Verified.

At this point, a trained verification specialist will connect to your customer on live video. Using their smartphone or laptop, your customer will then be guided through our carefully designed identification process.

Your customer will be asked to provide relevant ID documents such as a national ID, driver’s license, or passport.

Customers will be asked to show both sides of identification documents where relevant, and also to tilt them in front of their camera to allow for holographic elements to be checked and verified.

Both the documents themselves and the ownership of the documents will be verified by specially trained staff who are not only trained to identify fake or invalid documents but who are also proficient in analysing human behaviour and body language.

In order to eliminate the possibility of human error in identifying and matching faces to documents, face recognition technology is also used, along with machine learning and AI to prevent fraud.

Once the ID documents and the user’s identity have been verified, they will then be sent back to your site with the verification status.

All video identifications are recorded and stored as an added security measure.

You might think that physical face to face identifications (the way it’s done in bank branches) is the most secure way to verify people’s identities, right?

Physical face to face identifications typically involve one person checking someone’s identity, often by looking at a tiny image on a passport or driver’s license.

The photograph being used could be in some cases as much as 10 years old. This means that the window for error is huge.

The level of scrutiny that that single employee is going to put into that identification is going to vary greatly depending on a variety of different factors.

Their mood and temperament play a role in the decision-making process, as does how busy they are, what other duties they have to perform, how good their eyesight is, the biases in regard to who they consider to be trustworthy, and the list goes on.

Compare that to our system that incorporates automated document scanning, live recorded video, automated face recognition and machine learning. All that technology is there to help our verification specialists who have been trained in fraud prevention and identity verification. And this is the only job they have to do. Verify people’s identities.

Let’s break these elements down a little:

How video identifications compare
with physical face-to-face identifications in bank branches

Our system compared to physical face to face identifications incorporates automated document scanning, live recorded video, automated face recognition and machine learning. 

It’s not just video

As you can tell from the previous section, despite the name, video identification is not just about video! It’s actually a carefully designed process that incorporates a variety of different disciplines including criminal psychology and various automated analysis of both biometric features and document integrity.

It draws on the expertise of uniquely human skills (the ability to tell if someone is agitated or fearful for example). But the process also combines this expertise with the best that software, automation and machine learning have to offer.

What are the advantages of using video identification?

Advantages For Your Company

Improved Security

Improved Security

Far superior than traditional identity verification solutions with automation software, machine learning and face recognition technology all happening on lived video.

Saving Money

Saving Money

Identity fraud can be extremely costly. Our process improves overall efficiency, saving you money and time.

Saving time

Saving time

Our process speeds up the onboarding process significantly, allowing you to process more applications and therefore increase revenue.

Complying with legal requirements

Complying with legal requirements

With our system you can rest assured that you’re meeting the necessary anti money laundering and know your customer requirements.

Peace of mind

Peace of mind

You can sleep well knowing that your business is fully protected from identity fraud.

Improved data gathering

Improved data gathering

All interactions are recorded and stored for your future reference.

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Advantages for your customers

Convenience
Convenience

No trips to the bank or post office! The process can be carried out from anywhere and at any time. All the customer needs is a smartphone, laptop or tablet equipped with a camera ant internet connection.

Smooth and guided process
Smooth and guided process

The process is quick and straightforward, providing a unique customer experience. Each identification is fully guided and takes approximately 5 to 7 minutes to complete.

Real-time processing and faster approval
Real-time processing and faster approval

Real-time processing means that your customers can get verified quicker than if they were using conventional methods.

European legislation: AML directives
and KYC

Let’s take a closer look at some of the legislation that financial companies need to be aware of.

KYC:

Understanding KYC (know your customer) requirements and implementing the necessary checks are an important aspect of onboarding new clients.

  • It’s not just about compliance with the regulations. It is integral to the efficient running of a business.
  • Keeping up with constant changes in legislation can be time-consuming and costly.
  • When you use a video identification solution, you can be sure that the highest level of KYC requirements is met, and that you are operating at maximum efficiency when it comes to onboarding times and compliance costs. You also get the added bonus of improving the customer’s experience.

AML directives:

Previously used methods of identification involving taking pictures of documents and/or selfies are not compliant with the highest level of regulations.

The current AML legislation seems to view video as a far superior method for identity verifications.

Below is a list of European financial regulators who already implemented or are in the process of implementing video-based online identification procedures:

  • BAFIN (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) – Regulator in Germany
  • BdP (Banco de Portugal) – Regulator in Portugal
  • CSSF (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier) – Regulator in Luxembourg
  • FCIS (Financial Crime Investigation Service under the Ministry of Interior) – Regulator in Lithuania
  • FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) – Swiss regulator
  • SEPBLAC (Servicio Ejecutivo de Prevención de Blanqueo de Capitales) – Spanish regulator
  • FKTK Financial and Capital Markets Commission in Latvia
  • Finantsinspektsioon – Financial Supervision Authority of Estonia

Which countries already accept and regulate video identifications at government level?

More and more countries are implementing systems that allow for video identification. The following is by no means an extensive list, but currently, the procedure is well established in the following European and non-European countries.

Some of the European members states not on this list are currently in the process of amending legislation to allow for the use of video identification, as are several countries outside of the EU. Acceptance and implementation of the process is growing and it’s only a matter of time before it spreads throughout the whole of Europe.

Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Spain
Estonia
Latvia
Malta
Liechtenstein

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Fully-Verified was created as answer to its founders collectively losing over $150 000 to various types of fraud in their eCommerce businesses.