Warning to people with green ID books and smart ID cards

South Africans should take special care when protecting their identification documents from thieves or fraudsters — regardless of whether they use the older green ID book or a smart ID card.

IRS Forensic investigator Chad Thomas recently warned of a disturbing trend where syndicates were weaponising stolen IDs to commit various types of crimes.

“The common concern is that a stolen identity can be used to give an identity of sorts to an undocumented foreigner,” said Thomas.

“However, worse off is that criminal syndicates are buying stolen identities to use them in the execution of other crimes.”

This could include creating money mule accounts or even opening credit accounts with various companies, putting the original ID holder in financial peril.

Beyond facilitating financial fraud, syndicates could use stolen IDs to manipulate victims and put them in dangerous situations.

“There are so many different ways that they’re luring people in respect of express kidnappings, for other more heinous crimes, as well as to involve people in trafficking,” he said.

Thomas’ warning came on the back of a police investigation into the recent murder of Olorato Mongale, in which the suspects were found to have stolen or bought over two dozen smart ID cards.

The police initially identified Fezile Ngubane as a suspect because a phone number RICA’d to his name was linked to Mongale’s murder.

However, after further investigation, the police determined that Philangenkosi Makhanya, a neighbour of Ngubane’s, had gotten hold of his ID.

Makhanya allegedly identified Ngubane as an easy target and used his smart ID card to register SIM cards in Ngubane’s name.

It is unclear whether Makhanya had to manipulate Ngubane’s photo on the smart ID in any way to convince staff at a cellular shop or mobile network franchise to issue the SIM card.

The police killed Makhanya during a shootout at a block of apartments in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, where they found 27 smart ID cards, including Ngubane’s.

The police said that at least 20 women had come forward and alleged Makhanya and an accomplice — Bongani Mthimkulu — kidnapped and robbed them.

The pair are believed to have been operating in a syndicate targeting women in various malls across the country.

Smart ID more fraud-resistant than green ID books

While the Mongale murder case has highlighted that smart ID cards can also be abused in criminal activities, they offer several physical and digital anti-fraud improvements over green ID books.

These include holograms, laser engraving, and an embedded chip that stores the personal information of the card holder. This is why Home Affairs is encouraging people to switch to the new document.

Smile ID’s Digital Identity Fraud reports have found that the green ID book was the most attacked identification document in Africa.

Out of tens of millions of identity verification checks Smile ID’s software performed in 2023, 34% of instances wherein a South African green ID book was used were flagged as fraudulent.

In addition, the fraud rates for green ID books were 500% higher than smart IDs, despite the latter being adopted by well over half the population.

According to Smile ID’s data, well below 10% of cases in which a smart ID card was used for verification were flagged as potentially fraudulent.

The data also showed that green ID book fraud was gradually declining in 2024, but this could be due to the document’s phase-out picking up pace in the past year.

However, although smart IDS are more resistant to forgery or tampering than ID books, the Mongale case shows that they can also be compromised if stolen or otherwise appropriated by a criminal.

The fact that smart IDs are more compact and easier to carry around than ID books increases the likelihood of them being stolen.

If a robber or thief manages to steal a smart ID card along with other valuables, victims could face double punishment due to fraud at a later stage.

Therefore, it may be best to keep that smart ID in secure storage at home rather than putting it in a wallet or purse — unless you absolutely need to use it.