Biometric ID Verification

Verify your clients’ identity with a new level of confidence by using 2Shakes’ Biometric ID verification

Biometric ID Verification gives you confidence someone really is who they say they are. It captures the Identity (ID) document, checks it is genuine and hasn’t been altered, matched it to the person’s face, then verifies the data at the ID’s issuer.

At a click of a button your client is emailed a link. They go through a quick process on their smart phone. They are prompted to take photos of ID documents and a short video of their face. Facial verification, document verification, Address verification, Passport or Driver License verification and PEP check results are all provided back to you in an easy to read report.

Our Biometric ID verification report is a premium product. It adds another layer of certainty on top of the robust verification already provided in 2Shakes electronic identity verification report.  

Note for AML Reporting Entities

When the AML Supervisors released an Update to the IDVCOP Explanatory Note, new ID Verification requirements were introduced including:

  • robust methods to verify the document's authenticity.

  • robust methods to link between the person and the identity document they were presenting.

 The Biometric option in 2Shakes meets the updated requirements. The explanatory note gives examples of what is and isn't acceptable, and our Biometric option aligns with Example 2. That is why our Biometric IDV has been the 2Shakes default since the Supervisors released the Updated Explanatory Note in July 2021.

Biometric ID Verification Process

When you choose the Biometric Verification method in 2Shakes, your client receives a 2Shakes email link. The email asked them to enter their mobile number so that a SMS text message is sent to their mobile phone.  This makes sure that the biometric verification is completed on a mobile with a front facing camera.

You can see in 2Shakes as soon as the text is sent.  The client’s IDV status will change to Biometric SMS sent, (the status stays like this until the client completes the biometric process).

The biometric add-on is charged when the SMS is sent. If need be, you can update the client’s mobile number from the client management page. Please be aware that changing the client’s number at this stage will incur another biometric addon fee. You can also choose to revert to Manual ID and complete ID verification manually.

Once the client has received the biometric SMS, the process is as follows:

  • The client takes a picture of their ID. If using a driver license, a front and back picture of the license is required.

  • The client confirms their details and enters address for electronic verification.

  • Using their phone’s front camera, the client will be asked to give a big smile and turn their head to the side.

Please note, Biometric SMS links are valid for one week. After this period, the Biometric IDV will expire and change to manual.

Reviewing Biometric Results

When your client has completed biometric IDV, 2Shakes asks you to review the biometric results. You need to review the report then confirm and accept (or decline and follow up) the results.

Accept to complete ID verification.

  • Decline to revert the IDV method to Manual IDV. Then take any additional measures needed to complete ID verification manually.

  • If the identity document or address data do not electronically verify or if a PEP flag has been raised, the IDV method will automatically revert Manual IDV 

Once client ID verification has been completed:

  • AML Only clients will progress to AML Pending

  • Sign Up clients will progress to Complete

  • Sign Up & AML clients will progress to Signed – AML Pending

Understanding the Biometric IDV Report

The top of the IDV report displays a summary of each part of the electronic verification. For more information on  the electronic ID verification and PEP Check sections of the report, see the support page for electronic IDV report. It is recommended that you always review the IDV report and the client entered data.

The biometric section of the report includes the thumbnails of the ID document as well as the image of the client taken in real time. Click on the image to enlarge. The following criteria is applied to biometric ID verification: 

Biometric Summary

  • Overall
    The overall result of the OCR check. This will be marked with a cross if any of “Liveness”, “Documents” or “Facematch” do not pass validation.

  • Liveness
    Whether the document is suspected to be tampered with/fraudulent.

  • Facematch
    If the face on the document matches the face of the person presenting themselves

Documents Check
As well as details being electronically verified using Centrix SmartID, the ID document your client uses for biometric identity verification is also assessed against the following criteria

  • Document integrity
    Whether the document is damaged or not intact.

  • Image composition
    Whether the document is not live and present. i.e. the user has captured from a screen or a photocopy for example.

  • Photo check
    Whether the image of the user’s face on the document is not as per expectation or is displaying suspiciously on the ID for example if the face has been overlaid or changed.

  • Detail Check
    Whether the document does not match the alignments, colour, symbols or other details of the expected template.

Facematch Check
The facematch check compares the live image of your client to the image on their ID document. Each of the facematch checks are evaluated and as either:

The user has completed the challenges of the liveness process and is not exhibiting a presentation attack. The colour is green.

The user has not completed the challenges of the liveness process and/or is suspected to be performing a presentation attack. (eg. Wearing a mask, filming off a screen).

It is important to review the biometric report in order to rule out any false positive or false negative results. Busy backgrounds and poor lighting in the client’s image may impact on the results of the biometric ID. We recommend that individuals completing biometric identity verification do so in a well lit location with a plain background. Using biometric ID verification, the chance of person matching on facial likeness with another person is 1 in 50,000. While we always recommend examining the client data, the human eye is more capable of distinguishing differences between the real-life photo and ID. 

Consider consulting your Compliance Officer if you decide to accept a check where something has not verified, you may need to take additional steps to complete ID verification. We recommend recording any decisions or judgment calls made in the client’s Notes & Files

Troubleshooting the Result

Please see below information from our Biometric provider on the situations where the system is not able to completely verify the person against the document, and needs the reviewer (you) to check and decide. 

Under Documents Check, there are the following areas:

  • Document Integrity

  • Image Composition

  • Photo Check

  • Details Check

We have been given the following advice on each area which will help you decide to Accept or Reject the IDV:

Document Integrity Explanation
Document integrity determines that physical document isn’t damaged or is in-tact. If document integrity gets flagged it could mean that:

  • The ID Document itself is damaged or not entirely in shot.

    • Check for exposed edges or shadows around the face or the face image or a difference in surface texture/glossiness over the face.

  • The ID Document may be copied in some way.

    • Check to see if the ID is printed on a piece of paper or if it is black and white.

Image Composition Explanation
Image composition determines if a document captures is live and present. If image composition gets flagged it could mean that:

  • The image may be an ID document captured from a screen and not of the actual ID document

    • Check for pixellation or computer screen items like application windows, mouse cursors or screen edges

  • The image may be taken of an ID document photocopy or photo

    • Check to see if the ID is printed on a piece of paper or if it is black and white.

Photo Check Explanation
Photo check determines if there are any issues with the photo of the person on the document. If photo check gets flagged it could mean that:

  • Another face image may be placed on top of the original face image on the document

    • Check for exposed edges or shadows around the face or the face image or a difference in surface texture/glossiness over the face

Detail Check Explanation
Detail check determines that all the specifications of the document align with expectations. If detail check gets flagged it could mean that:

  • The measurements of the overall ID Document and text may not be – exactly the same as normal versions of this ID document.

    • Check for fields that look out of place or if the document may be fake. This could accidentally flag if the user has a very long name or address

  • The font and text on the card may not be consistent or correct.

    • Check to make sure the font of all text is similar and that the user hasn’t physically changed any text

  • Symbols and colours of the card may not be correct.

    • Check that the symbols and colours on the card look real or if the document could be fake

If any area of the Documents Check if flagged, please look at the relevant section above and check for the possible cause. If after checking you believe it has been flagged falsely, you should be able to make a note in Notes & Files and Accept the ID verification.

The Electronic Data Verification and PEP Check

Once you have understood the Biometric portion of the report, see our Electronic (Data Only) IDV page to interpret the data verification and PEP check sections.

More Info - Emails and SMS Text

If you have any questions or experience any trouble with the biometric identity verification, please get in touch with us at support@2shakes.co.nz

Client hasn’t received SMS message
You easily check if a Biometric SMS has been sent by reviewing the individual’s IDV status on the Client Management page.

  • Pending – the individual has not yet confirmed their mobile number online, no SMS has been sent.

  • Biometric SMS sent – make sure the correct mobile number has been entered, you may need to confirm this with your client. Change the mobile number from the Client Management page to send a new SMS. Please be aware sending a new biometric SMS will incur another biometric addon fee.

Client experiences Session Expired page
The client has already completed the biometric session, review the IDV status in 2Shakes for more biometric results.

Client cannot proceed past confirming ID details
Biometric identity verification can only work with an in-date NZ driver license or passport.  If ID has expired, ID verification will need to be completed manually.

Passport is not an available option for my client
Passports will become an electronic verification option for your clients once your application has been approved. Get in touch to find out more.

Biometric Identity Verification that is accredited

Our biometric identity verification system is one of only a few in the world with IBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection level 1 & 2 accreditation. IBeta is the only trusted 3rd party tester in the industry. The system was tested against ISO 30107-3.

What our customers think of 2Shakes Biometric IDV