HOME OFFICE News
Release (026/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 18
February 2009
A hi-tech weapon
in the fight against passport fraud has arrived at the UK's
smaller and island communities.
The secure videolink allowing first time passport applicants to
be interviewed by trained staff hundreds of miles away is rolling
out to smaller communities and islands in Scotland, England and
Wales. It is one of a range of anti-fraud measures introduced by
the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to keep the British
passport among the most secure in the world. IPS prevented around
10,000 fraudulent applications last year. The hi-tech link follows
the introduction of 68 interview offices set up over the last 18
months to interview first-time adult passport applicants
face-to-face in a bid to deter fraudsters.
The new service is operated in partnership with local authorities
who provide premises and staff to facilitate the interviews with
IPS officials at a central office.
As well as a powerful fraud deterrent, videolink interviews are
more convenient for the estimated 4,000 customers from far-flung
communities in England, Scotland and Wales who apply for a
passport each year.
Home Office Minister for Identity, Meg Hillier, said:
"Face-to-face interviews are a major step forward in
stopping fraudsters set on hijacking other people's
identities to carry out serious crimes.
"However, most people are law-abiding citizens who just want
a passport without fuss. Interviews by videolink will benefit
thousands of people living in smaller and island communities while
ensuring the British passport remains one of the most secure
passports in the world."
Leader of the Dumfries and Galloway Council, Councillor Ivor
Hyslop, said:
"This technology will benefit the whole community by
offering greater convenience to those needing a passport.
"We are pleased to work in partnership with the Identity
and Passport Service to help offer this service while doing our
bit to help fight passport fraud."
Investigations have shown that passport fraud - a growing problem
worldwide - is often intricately linked with other criminal
activity such as benefit fraud, illegal immigration, illegal
working, drug trafficking and terrorism.
The interview requirement is one of a range of measures developed
by IPS to stop criminals hijacking other people's identities
to carry out serious crimes.
Since 2006 IPS has developed a comprehensive set of counter fraud
measures including:
* checking biographical information to ensure that the identity
claimed on the application form is genuine and alive, and can be
linked to the customer through cross checks against a range of
public and private sector databases;
* the development of facial recognition systems to check
applicant images against a database of images of suspected fraudsters;
* checking applicants against increasingly sophisticated internal
watch lists including databases of infant deaths and passports
reported lost or stolen;
* strengthening identity authentication processes, and training
and support for passport examiners and specialist fraud units; and
* the establishment of a Passport Validation Service which
enables government departments and approved private sector
organisations to confirm the details of passports presented to them.
More information on passports and applying for a passport is
available from the Passport Adviceline, 0300 222 0000, and at http://www.ips.gov.uk.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. In 2007 the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) introduced
interviews for first-time passport applicants aged 16 or over as
part of the application process to act as a fraud deterrent. The
office network was fully operational last summer and the videolink
service will be completed in the next few months. Some 300,000
interviews have now been conducted nationwide.
2. Applications can still be made by post in the normal way, but
first-time adult customers are contacted at the end of the process
of background checks to make an appointment for an interview at an
office of their choice. At interviews people are asked basic
information about themselves - not deeply private information, but
information that can be checked. The point is to prevent
fraudsters stealing other people's identity or making
fraudulent applications.
3. A survey of people who have attended interviews revealed that
91 per cent believe it helps to protect against identity fraud.
Most customers (97 per cent) found the interview experience a
positive one.
4. For interviews with regional partners, please contact press
offices at the relevant local authority. Video interviews are now
available in Wales at Haverfordwest; in Scotland at Stranraer,
Lerwick Bowmore, Campbeltown, Lamlash, Lochgilphead, Rothesay,
Tobermory, Kirkwall, Balivanich, Barra, Dunoon, Lochinver,
Portree, Fort William, Kingussie, Ullapool, Elgin, Tiree, and
Lochcarron; and at St Mary's in the Scilly Isles.
5. For more information call the Home Office press office on
0207 035 3535.