Education is a key foundation for societies and people’s individual lives. Certificates and degrees are gateways to dream careers and overseas study options offer incredible opportunities. But with so many benefits to offer and prerequisites to meet, identity fraud cases are hitting the education sector hard.

The Anonymous Classroom

As classes take advantage of digital tools, face-to-face learning is diminishing – many institutions even offer 100% online courses. While this evolution of education offers life flexibility and convenience, it can also foster anonymity that can be abused. It’s an easy activity for students to share their assessments and online passwords to get help on courses – or for details to get stolen and used. 

To ensure they know and can trust their students, education institutions require students to create a student ID. This usually includes a unique student number, an online account and a photo identity card for future verification. But with smarter ways of committing fraud, the challenge of ID verification can start early.

Identity Verification During Enrolment

This year, undergraduate degrees in Australia had a 83.6% offer rate, leaving many without access to the studies that want. To be accepted into a course, a person must meet certain requirements. These range from high academic histories to active study visas. But forging these documents is possible. Enrolment fraud is a growing concern in education and includes:

• Falsifying bank documents and passports
• Exaggerating work experience (to meet postgraduate requirements)
• Immigration fraud.

Among other negative effects, fraud can put a strain on the integrity of a university or other education institution. It also builds the potential for fraudsters to go on campus to classes, to graduate under false pretences, and to use the institution’s name to apply for future work. To build a trusted cohort of students, institutions can adopt ID verification methods that compare a person’s enrolment documents with official government-recognised forms of identification on a global scale.

Cheating During Assessments

Fear of failure is growing around the globe. As education is a large financial and personal investment, the stakes are high. And in a digital environment, organising a ghost writer to submit an essay or hiring another person to take your exam is possible. With a fake student ID and shared login information, cheating is growing business and a big issue that can undermine the integrity of institutions.

If cheating occurs, honest students have an unfair disadvantage. It also puts the credibility of the teaching institution on the line. By using digital identity verification throughout each step of the education process, that tighter control can keep campuses safer and ensure students are taught and tested fairly.

Confirmed ID Checks in Education

With new identification technologies emerging, ID recognition and verification has been simplified. Biometric authentication offers an easy solution – just take a selfie – that can confirm the identity of students. Whether they’re signing up for classes or entering an exam room, education institutions can check and monitor identities. 

When it comes to enrolment of domestic and international students, document verification services scan worldwide databases to prove identities. This includes passport and identity card verification that checks the legitimacy of documents used in applications.

Lecturers, tutors, teachers and other staff can rest assured knowing that strict ID verification is keeping fraudsters from compromising the system. And for honest students, the use of active ID recognition gives them a fair chance at excelling in their studies.