Many agents request that new clients email images of the cardholder driver’s license/passport and images of the front and back of the credit/debit card as proof that the client information is real. Unfortunately, fraudsters are often adept at digitally altering such documents to make themselves appear legitimate.
Though agents receive these emailed document images, it does not provide relief from potential chargebacks because the document images may be altered.
Suggestions
- If the document is received via email, enlarge the image to look for common fraudster mistakes. By enlarging the image it usually is easier to see that some areas are clear or vivid yet other areas are fuzzy, which can be an indication that the image has been digitally altered. The image should be all fuzzy or all clear, not a combination.
- Use a Google image search or Bing image search to input keyword searches such as “California driver license image” or “US passport image” to see the valid versions of these documents.
Fake Documents Submitted to Airlines
Multiple airlines have alerted ARC that they continue to receive fake documents from travel agencies requesting refund waiver codes. The false documents include certificates of death and doctor’s notes claiming serious medical conditions.
Please ensure that all staff, independent contractors and sub-agents are aware that submitting fake documents to the airlines to obtain waiver codes may jeopardize the agency's accreditation status.
Example of a fake certificate of death:
ARC’s revenue integrity team is here for support. If you suspect you have been a victim of fraud, contact ARC immediately by calling 855-358-0393 or emailing stopfraud@arccorp.com.
Driver's License
Below is an example of a digitally altered California Driver's License.
Note: The last name in this altered image was removed by ARC. The photo is copied and pasted by a fraudster from an unknown website.
Look for misspellings or incorrect information:
- Should be spelled “HAIR” not “HIAR”
- Should be “Folsom Blvd” not “Folson Blbd”
- Should be “Sacramento, CA” rather than “California, CA”
- Should be “07-17-16” not “16-07-17”
Passport
Below is an example of a digitally altered United States passport. Some parts of this document are quite clear yet other areas are fuzzy, which should not occur with an unaltered document image. The image should be consistently clear or consistently fuzzy, not a mix.
Note: The last name in this altered image was removed by ARC. The passport photo is copied and pasted by a fraudster from an unknown website.
Look for misspellings or incorrect information:
- Should be spelled “JERSEY,” not “JESSY”
Credit Card
Below is an example of a digitally altered credit card.
Note: Some data in this altered image was removed by ARC.
Look for misspellings, poor grammar or incorrect information:
- Should be “Not Valid Unless Signed” not “No Valid Unless Signed”
- Should state the name of the issuing financial institution not (Full User Name)
- Should state, “…the holder agrees to…” not “…the holder agree to…”
- Should be “which” not “whit”
- Should be “Visit” not “Visi”
Contact ARC
If you suspect a customer has emailed altered documents, contact ARC Fraud Prevention at 855.358.0393 or StopFraud@arccorp.com.