Verity journal

What constitutes the legitimacy of a person’s identity? In modern society, we assign identification to citizens with a proof of authenticity – whether it be an identity card or a passport to recognize a person’s status. How do you know if the next person who walks into your company for an interview is not impersonating as someone else – or worse, is a criminal or even a terrorist?

Similarly in Malaysia, we assign MyKad identity cards to our citizens and MyPR identity cards to permanent residents residing in Malaysia. These cards are unfortunately often abused by crooks and syndicates – in 2016 alone, over 422,000 MyKad’s were reported lost in Malaysia. Although the numbers pale in comparison to the actual 30+ million MyKad holders in the country, you do have to wonder where these missing cards are going.

This is also a concerning follow-up to a recent exclusive story by New Straits Times on how suspected terrorists from the Philippines are getting a hold of reproduced and fake identity cards in Sabah. An excerpt within the article mentions Malaysia’s alleged status as a hub for fake official documents, adding to the growing concern of the sort of characters masquerading as Malaysian citizens.

This can be a worrying subject for the workplace, as there are scammers that actively take advantage of the flaws within our country’s registry systems to forge identity cards in order to manipulate potential employers or the unsuspecting public in dangerous schemes.

With sketchy suspects having easy access to identification documents, you can’t help but ask who exactly are your co-workers or employees. Without a proper screening process, anyone can easily slip through the cracks with fake identities.

How can you protect yourself and your company from potential threats and people who aren’t who they claim they are? At Verity Intelligence, we encourage screening potential candidates and employees as an integral part of the hiring process, with ID checks being the most basic but crucial option available.

For identity checks, Verity Intelligence can help determine the legitimacy of a person’s ID based on a database maintained by the National Registration Department within 1 to 2 business days. Knowing your employees and the people working with and for you is ultimately an important step in protecting your company and its interests.

If you want to learn more about the benefits and advantages of employee background screening, stay tuned to this blog at www.verityintel.com for regular updates and insights.