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ICBC praises the role of facial recognition technology in obtaining convictions in identity theft cases


February 23, 2011   by Canadian Underwriter


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Two years after B.C.’s public insurer introduced facial recognition technology, the Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) says the new technology has had a dramatic impact on obtaining convictions for identity theft and fraud.
“In 2010, the technology – which enables ICBC to compare a cardholder’s image with their existing image on file and with an entire database of millions of images – played a vital role in a number of convictions,” ICBC said in a press release. “The technology works by analyzing facial characteristics that do not change, such as the size and location of cheekbones and the distance between the eyes.”
ICBC listed five examples of convictions obtained in 2010 through the use of facial recognition technology. “Facial recognition technology is now enabling security checks that were not previously possible and helping to uncover fraud that would not have come to light without it,” said Ben Shotton, ICBC’s manager of driver licensing integrity. “It’s unlikely that any of these charges and convictions would have happened without facial recognition technology so it’s clear that it’s helping to protect our customers.”
The convictions are as follows (listed by location):
Kelowna: A woman attending a local driver licensing centre took a road test in the name of her sister. Facial recognition technology matched her image to her own driver’s licence and ICBC learned she had actually been prohibited from driving.
Nanaimo: The photo of a Nanaimo resident was attached to two different driver’s licences. An ICBC investigation discovered one of the identities used to obtain a B.C. driver’s licence, register and insure several vehicles was in fact deceased.
Surrey: A Surrey resident applied for a new B.C. driver’s licence in Richmond under the identity of another man, which was discovered through the use of facial recognition technology. In working with a federal agency, it became apparent the man was an illegal immigrant in Canada who had previously been deported due to organized criminal activity.
Penticton: A Penticton man was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in restitution and received a one-year conditional sentence and one-year of probation for obtaining a B.C. driver’s licence in the identity of someone who had died at the age of five in 1969. The fraud went uncovered for 15 years before facial recognition technology properly identified him.
North Vancouver: A man was caught in North Vancouver with a B.C. driver’s licence in the name of another person, which he had used to register and insure vehicles while being prohibited from driving and owing debt to ICBC. He had renewed the licence four times and had more than one at-fault claim while impersonating the other driver.


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