New Report Finds ID cards at Risk

Entrust’s new 2026 Identity Fraud Report – The Changing Face of Fraud highlights how national ID cards have become the soft underbelly of global identity systems. Compared with ePassports and many driving licences, ID cards often carry fewer physical and digital security features and can be governed by less stringent issuance processes. As a result, they represent a disproportionate share of fraudulent ID documents detected in remote onboarding and KYC checks, making them a key target for organised crime ¹.

The report draws on a global dataset of large-scale remote identity verifications across almost 200 countries and multiple sectors. It finds that fraudsters are increasingly combining compromised or stolen personal data with forged or manipulated ID cards to create high-quality identities that can pass superficial checks. These synthetic or patched-together identities are then used to open accounts, secure lines of credit and move money through the financial system.