Online Identity Check

Identity Verification

Identity verification is the most essential check among all Pre-employment screening checks. It is always the first check which HR or hiring manager should perform. Employers should not continue with further checks of the Pre-employment screening until they are 100% satisfied with the applicant’s identity.

What is Identity?

There are three elements to someone’s identity:

• Biometric identity - the attributes that are biologically determined and unique to an individual i.e. facial structure, fingerprints, retina, voice, DNA profile etc.
• Attributed identity - the components of a person’s identity that are given at birth, including name, place or birth and parents’ names.
• Biographical identity - an individual’s personal history including, but not limited to, registration of birth, addresses, education, professional qualifications, employment history, or registration of marriage or civil partnership.

Why job applicants or individuals use false identities?

• To avoid detection and conceal original identity – commonly used by illegal immigrants, wanted criminals, disqualified drivers and people with poor credit history.
• Financial gain – this includes falsifying educational qualifications, credit fraud or welfare benefits fraud.
• To avoid financial liabilities – failing to pay debts or taxes.
• To illegally obtain genuine documents – such as passports through the use of false ‘breeder documents’ (those documents required to obtain passports, such as birth certificates, which can have few or no security features).

How to verify a job applicant’s Identity?

The purpose of verifying an applicant’s identity is to relate the applicant to the information they have provided about themselves by determining that the identity is genuine and relates to a real person or not, and establishing that the individual is who he/she say he is.

Common methods for verifying identity are:

• Requesting original documents – a ‘paper-based’ approach
• Checking the applicant’s personal details against external databases – an ‘electronic’ approach or with credit reference agencies etc.