The growing use of synthetic identities and fake accounts and the rising threat of fraudulent activities are a growing concern for government agencies at all levels.

“As the largest state identity issuer with over 31 million unique identities that we own and manage for the state of California, it’s really a big issue,” says Ajay Gupta, chief digital transformation officer for the Executive Division of the California DMV, in a new FedScoop video panel interview. “We often are in the beginning of this fraud cycle as well — and have to manage it for our residents, for our business, and even for our other state partners, departments and commercial entities too.”

As threats continue to evolve and fraudsters get smarter and use new tactics and techniques to commit fraud, modern identity verification platforms are essential for government agencies servicing their constituents.

“We need to look to solutions that both balance and apply purposeful friction and maximize the customer experience for the good people that are trying to access these services,” says Matthew Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, public sector, at Socure.

Modern solutions can improve the user experience while better protecting agencies by explaining why an identity transaction is being marked as good or fraudulent, empowering government leaders to make informed decisions.

Both Gupta and Thompson offered recommendations to other government IT leaders on effectively leveraging modern identity platforms to fight fraud. One is to prioritize it.

“Digital identity is critical infrastructure for how you’re enabling trust in your digital experiences and service delivery — it is how you’re securing the identities of your constituents,” says Thompson. “And so it needs to be treated with that level of care.”

In addition, they stressed the importance of getting educated, whether that’s understanding privacy laws and the costs of fraud, familiarizing themselves with the various identity solutions in the market, and performance-testing solutions before selecting and onboarding vendors.

Learn more about how Socure helps government organizations use identity verification to deter fraud and improve citizen services.

Hear from more leaders on modern identity-proofing discussions.

This video interview was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and underwritten by Socure.

The post Fighting fraud with modern identity verification platforms appeared first on FedScoop.

The increasing need to deliver public services quickly, accurately and securely has federal, state and local government agencies turning to more modern and scalable platforms to manage identity verification. At the same time, government agencies must ensure those efforts work successfully for all populations, said technology experts in a new FedScoop video interview.

At the General Services Administration, Login.gov was created in response to the need for a shared identity management service across federal agencies, according to Dan Lopez, GSA’s director for the website service. He explained that the platform provides authentication and identity verification services to more than 40 agencies and currently serves more than 80 million user accounts.

In addition to streamlining access to various government services, he noted that agencies must also ensure accessibility and security for all populations, particularly those with disabilities or digital challenges.

“So as a government service, we have an imperative to serve all members of the public. And to do so while respecting their privacy, mitigating fraud, and preserving the integrity of government systems. This can be tricky because reaching the full American public with benefits and services is costly and time-intensive, given the vast disparity and access to facilities, technologies, and support. Yet, even as we’re continually working on ways to increase access by reducing the friction involved, we have to do this without compromising on anti-fraud, security, or compliance fraud,” said Lopez.

Jordan Burris, vice president of public sector strategy at Socure, acknowledged those challenges and emphasized the need for adaptable solutions, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach and focusing on the most underserved demographics.

“To keep up in this area, it has to be rapid. You have to be constantly harnessing the latest and greatest in technology, which could be artificial intelligence, machine learning, or different tools—but techniques to stay ahead and solve systemic gaps,” said Burris.

Both Lopez and Burris shared success stories from different states. With the Department of Labor and the State of Hawaii, Login.gov facilitated swift and secure access to unemployment insurance benefits during the Maui wildfires. Socure streamlined access to emergency disaster relief loans in Florida, ensuring quick outcomes for over 95% of applicants.

They also shared recommendations for organizations looking to create a seamless, secure, and inclusive identity management experience for all citizens engaging with government services online—which play a pivotal role in shaping the future of identity verification in the public sector as the digital landscape continues to evolve.

Learn more about boosting identity verification and fraud detection.

This video interview was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and underwritten by Socure.

The post Ensuring identity-proofing works for all populations appeared first on FedScoop.

Supporting workers is the core mission of the Department of Labor. “Whether it’s job seekers, retirees, current workers or [responding to] working conditions, making sure they have the ability and the access to do what they need to do” is critical. Having a robust, efficient and secure identify-verification system in place is critical to that effort, says Karl Hellmann, the Labor Department’s deputy chief information security officer, in a new StateScoop video panel interview.

However, as agencies continue to invest in upgrading and centralizing their enterprise identity and access management systems, it’s also essential that those systems meet several critical requirements today, adds Jordan Burris, vice president of public sector strategy at Socure, recognized by Forrester as a leader in identify verification. It’s important not only for government agencies to operate at scale and with greater agility but also to deal with the increasing threat of fraud from those attempting to exploit government benefits programs.

Hellmann and Burris discuss the pressing challenges of identity verification in the digital age; for Hellman, that includes the need for secure and efficient verification methods to protect sensitive personal data. At the same time, he stresses that modern identity verification systems must strike a balance between security and user convenience to ensure a smooth user experience. Hellmann notes that the Labor Department now has more than 100 internal and external-facing systems that support a single sign-on capability to verify the identity of users accessing DOL data.

As agencies continue to invest in their identity verification systems, it’s increasingly important that those systems can leverage AI and machine learning to enhance the accuracy of identity verification, Burris notes. It’s also critical to have systems that can adapt quickly to evolving fraud techniques and stay ahead of cyber threats.

Both experts agreed on the significance of collaboration between government agencies and technology companies.

Learn more about how Socure helps government organizations use identity verification to deter fraud and improve citizen services.

Hear from more leaders on modern identity-proofing discussions.

This video interview was produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and underwritten by Socure.

The post DOL and Socure IT experts highlight the rising role of identity verification appeared first on FedScoop.