How to Effectively Use Reference Data for Document Verification: Regula Spoke at INTERDOCPOL Congress
Regula, a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions, was a featured speaker at the 3rd International Congress of INTERDOCPOL. In her presentation, the company’s expert, Inga Voronko, highlighted a critical yet often overlooked aspect of document verification: the use of accurate and comprehensive reference data.
The congress, organized by INTERDOCPOL, a non-profit association working to improve security protocols and practices, provides a platform for law-enforcement professionals and forensic experts from all over the world to collaborate on fighting document fraud. This year’s event, held on October 23 and 24, 2024 in Les Franqueses del Vallès, Spain and themed “Document Fraud: New Points of View,” brought together all-women experts from state and private organizations to share knowledge of the most effective methods of detecting forged and tampered IDs.
Inga Voronko showcased how using a comprehensive and detailed reference system can enhance the accuracy and efficiency of document verification.
Inga Voronko and Vitalijs Voitkevics, Regula’s Business Development Managers, at the company’s stand at the 3rd INTERDOCPOL International Congress
While skilled professionals and advanced technology are essential, reference data also contributes a lot to the quality of identity verification. Accurate verification requires understanding exactly which security features a genuine document should have, where those features are located, how they should look, and what unique properties they possess. With thousands of different identity documents in circulation across the globe, no expert can memorize all the features of every document. This is where reference data becomes crucial.
With over 30 years of experience in identity verification and forensic research, Regula has created one of the most advanced Information Reference Systems. It contains over 337,000 images of more than 12,000 unique identity documents from 225 states and international organizations, providing vital data for detecting fraudulent documents. In fact, it is the first reference system that covers IDs from every country and territory in the world.
The images in Regula’s Information Reference System are captured in laboratory conditions, using forensic devices that ensure high optical resolution. This highlights the smallest nuances in security features, such as holograms, watermarks, and specific printing techniques, all of which are essential for verifying document authenticity.
Moreover, images are captured under various light sources—such as white, infrared, and different wavelengths of ultraviolet lighting—so that verifiers can inspect documents across different spectrums and detect hidden or altered features that may not be visible to the naked eye.
In today’s world, it’s not enough to simply rely on what you see. Document forgery has become so sophisticated that to be able to detect it, experts need more than technologies: they need a reliable source of reference data, which is constantly updated to be as comprehensive as possible. That is what Regula has been working at for more than 30 years, accumulating deep knowledge and creating the largest digital collection in the world, containing all sorts of documents.