Identity theft remains one of South Africa’s major crimes. It costs the country over 1 Billion Rand a year and the South African Fraud Prevention Services (SAFPS) gets about 20 – 25 calls daily. Credit granters must be vigilant with the checking of Identity Documents as it still is one of the easiest crimes to commit with the older types of documents. We urge you take note of the new changes and train staff in the changes. It should be noted that the old Identity Documents are still valid and that consumers must not be turned away because of them having older versions.

The Department of Home affairs introduced certain changes with the Identity Document (ID) in 2000, such as the new Coat of Arms appearing on the Identity Document and the font and spacing of the letters inside the white box on page 1. As part of the continued drive to combat identity fraud and theft the Department of Home Affairs introduced further changes with effect of November 2010. This new South African Identity Document will keep many of the features of the Identity Document prior to November 2010.

However the following changes must be noted when checking Identity Documents:

• All new Identity Documents are only written in English (old one had Afrikaans and English)
• The photograph will no longer be pasted, it will now be digitally printed in black and white on the first page.

• The first and second page will still be protected by lamination
• Instead of having drivers and firearm licenses in the Identity Document there are now pages that include important information about the Home Affairs track and trace systems for applications for Identity Documents; Passports; Marriage and Life Status verification.

• Information on page 8 explains what the Identity Document number actually means.

The benefits of the upgraded Identity Document are that it is enhanced with high security features that eliminate the swapping of photographs. Fraudulently issued Identity Documents and those that have been tampered with will be easily detected by authorities.

Other guidelines to take note of are the types of photos that may be used. These are:

• Photos that are no more than a month old
• Be clear and without marks, high quality no marks or creases
• Size must be 35 – 40mm in width
• The head and shoulders must be a close up shot so that the person’s face takes up 70 - 80% of the photo
• Sharply focused and clear
• Must be looking directly at the camera
• Skin tones must be shown naturally
• Must be printed on high quality photo paper and the brightness and contrast must be appropriate.
• Eyes must be open and visible with no hair in the eyes
• The person must be facing the camera square, and not tilt his head and both sides of the face must be shown clearly
• Background must be white-cream, light coloured
• The lighting must be uniform not casting shadows, red eyes or flash evident on the person’s face

It is still important to make sure that certain other features are checked to ensure that the document is the genuine article. We have included some reminders below.

Cover of the document

The South African Identity Document measures 110mm x 80.50 with a green outer plasticised cover. On the outside, it has the South African Coat of Arms printed on the top half of the page.

On the older version Afrikaans is still used and the words “Republiek van Suid Afrika” and “Republic of South Africa” are printed across the page. The bottom of the outer cover contains the words “Identiteits Dokument” and “Identity Document”.

The book is issued with a plastic sleeve that covers the outer cover of the book.

Inside Cover

On the inside cover, general information will be printed. On the front inside cover, there is information on the holder’s registered residential and postal address. A loose document called a BI 3 form is inserted in the front of the plastic sleeve to confirm the holder’s registered residential and postal addresses.

The back inside cover contains information regarding change of address. A loose document, a BI 4 form, is provided to be completed by the holder in the event of a change of address.

Page One of the Document

This page has the following information:

• The page number appears on the top of the page.
• There is a white box at the top of the page with:
  •  The identity number in the white box on top.
  •  A bar code that contains the information on page 1 in an encrypted format.
• The citizenship of the holder is written in English underneath the bar code inside the white box.
• On the older version the words “S.A. Citizen” or “Non S.A. Citizen”.

Middle of page underneath white box above holders photograph: (new version only in English)

This part of the page contains the following information:

• The written word “Surname” with the holders surname printed directly underneath.
• The written word “Forenames” with the holders full names directly underneath. If the holder has too many names for the space, the first three names will appear and thereafter the initials.
• The written words “District or Country of Birth” with the actual country of birth information directly underneath.
• The written words “Date of Birth” above the photograph with the holders date of birth next to it on the right hand side of the actual page in the format year-month-day.

Photograph – (new photo is digitally printed)

The photograph appears on page 1 inside square box printed with black lines at the left bottom of page 1. The holders photograph is placed inside this box. Underneath the photograph the date of birth is printed in year-month-day format. The date is printed in such a way that the actual photograph covers the printing.

Next to the photograph there are the words “Date issued” with the actual date issued printed directly underneath. The words  “Issued by authority of the Director-General:Home Affairs”.

Page 4

This page used to contain information on the driver’s licenses but since the introduction of a new card format driver’s license this information is no longer on this page. The page does however contain some printed information.

• The page number printed on the top of the page.
• The identity number of the holder.
• The written words “Driver’s Licence(s) directly underneath in the middle of the page.
• Surname and initials of the holder will appear on the right hand side of the page.

Three blocks across the page with words printed in the top section of the blocks.

• Block 1 “Code”.
• Block 2  “Date issued”.
• Block 3  “Limitations”.
• Block 1 has rows of stars and grey shaded lines printed in the block.
• Blocks 2 & 3 are printed in grey shaded area.

Underneath the blocks “Dupl. No.” is printed as well as the actual number of identity documents issued to the holder. The number will be 00 if the holder still has the original document.

Underneath this information are the keys to the driver’s licence restrictions:

• “Key to limitation codes:”
• “A=None”
• “B=Drive with glasses”
• “C=Drive with contact lenses”
• “D=Drive with artificial limb”
• “E=Drive specially adapted vehicle”
• “F=Semi-Auto. Trans. only”
• “G=Automatic transmission only”

Paper used

Paper used is of high quality and the density and structure of the paper is better than that of normal paper. The paper is not available commercially and feels different than writing paper.

The paper also has a pattern on it. This pattern is light green in colour and it covers each page of the document including the inside cover front and back. The pattern is in the shape of rolling lines forming a specific shape on the pages. This pattern meets up with each other across pages and forms a unit across the various pages. The pattern stretches to the edges of each page top to bottom and also left to right.

Top and bottom edges of the identity book is shaped and cut as a half-moon. This is an important feature as some syndicates may not be able to copy this security feature.

Watermark

An identity book has a watermark embedded in the paper. Each page should contain two watermarks. The watermarks can either be part of the watermark or a full watermark. The watermark is in the form of a triangle with the lettering RSA inside the triangle. Watermarks are visible to the eye when the book is held to the light.

Other clever fraud spotting tips:

• The surname and initials on page 1 and 4 should correspond.
• The surname and identity number should correspond on pages 1 and 4.
• The fonts on page 1 and 4 should correspond.
• The person's gender should correspond with the numbering according to the identity document.
• The holder's citizen status should correspond with the identity number.
• There should be no lettering visible next to the actual photograph.
• Check for signs of glue holding the picture in place on page 1.
• Check the alignment of the letters and words (horizontally & vertically).
• Compare the photograph on the document with the actual person.
• Check the watermarks on the pages in the ID document.

For enquires on the changes the Department of Home Affairs has a toll free customer service centre:

0800 60 11 90

The operating hours are:

Mon to Fri 7am to 7.30pm

Sat 8am – 5pm

Email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website: www.dha.gov.za

The South African Fraud Prevention Service also has a website:

www.safps.org.za

Toll free number:  086 010 1248.

Compuscan Academy runs a course on dealing with application Fraud. Contact us on 021 888 6000 or visit our website www.compuscanacademy.co.za

Sources:

www.dha.gov.za

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/identity-theft-costing-sa-millions-1.403125