East Africa Recorded The Highest Number of Document Fraud Cases in 2024 – Report

A recent report by Smile ID, a leading provider of identity solutions in Africa, has revealed that East Africa recorded the highest number of document fraud cases in 2024.

The region’s reliance on documents for identification purposes has contributed to this high rate of fraud.

The report based on a comprehensive analysis of over 110 million identity verification checks conducted by Smile ID in various industries across Africa, revealed that East Africa reported a rejection rate of 27% in 2024 for combined biometric and document fraud. These incidents occurred in countries like Zambia, Rwanda, and Sudan, which were largely driven by inconsistent, and poor-quality identity documents.

Central Africa followed at 22%, showing a 3% increase from 2023. West Africa matched Central Africa’s 22% rate, marking a significant jump from 12% in 2023 due to increased biometric fraud attempts. Southern Africa saw rejection rates rise from 9% to 21%, largely attributed to fraud attempts involving the retiring Green Book.

Fraud involving failed security feature checks ranked second, emphasizing the use of counterfeit documents lacking key elements like watermarks or holograms. Expired documents were less common, which indicated that fraudsters are moving away from outdated credentials as verification systems become more effective.

No-Face Match continued to dominate as the most common biometric fraud type in Africa, consistent with 2023. In East Africa, it made up 23% of fraud attempts, showing fraudsters still prefer basic methods over the complex task of replicating a user’s facial features. However, Spoof cases have risen across regions, with West Africa seeing the largest jump, rising to 15% of its biometric fraud cases compared to under 5% in 2023. In addition, West Africa recorded the highest number of biometric fraud cases in 2024.

Notably, fraudsters are reported to target Africa’s most common identity documents. National IDs recorded the highest fraud rate in Africa in 2024, at 27%, use reflecting their widespread use as a primary form of identification. Driver’s Licenses followed at 24%, driven by their frequent use across formal and informal contexts, increasing their exposure to misuse.

Passports, often perceived as more secure due to stricter issuance protocols, showed a fraud rate of 20%. The “others” category-including Work permits and Alien Cards, accounted for 19%, while Voter’s IDs had the lowest fraud rate at 14%. These findings highlight, the diverse vulnerabilities across ID types, with National IDs remain the most at risk due to their ubiquity. While Passports and other specialized documents like Work Permits have lower fraud rates, their misuse often involves high-stakes activities, such as international travel or employment fraud, with significant financial and reputational risks. These things come in many forms including a compress PDF document format.

In a bid to address the surging fraud attacks across the African continent, several countries are adopting digital IDs to enhance security and reduce fraud in identity verification.

In South Africa, efforts to replace outdated Green ID Books with secure Smart ID cards are gaining momentum. Green Books, historically vulnerable due to weak security features, had Africa’s highest fraud rate in 2023 at 34%

Ethiopia has also made significant strides with its National Identification Programme (NIDP), known as Fayda. Launched in 2022 and led by the Prime Minister’s Office, the program uses biometric technology to provide secure digital identities. This system is designed to reduce fraud while also improving access to services for millions of citizens.

Other countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, and Tanzania, are also advancing digital ID systems to strengthen traditional identification methods and combat fraud across sectors.