Fake IDs aren't just coming from college kids trying to get into bars anymore. Today's identity fraud has moved from poorly laminated fakes with obvious tells to sophisticated synthetic identities that can fool credit bureaus and pass manual review with flying colors. The fake ID problem has grown up—and property managers are one group feeling the impact.

Among the 90% of large property owners who have recently encountered fraudulent applications, 70% have dealt with fake IDs or stolen identities. For property managers, this means every application deserves careful scrutiny to see if the person applying is who they say they are.

The challenge is that creating fake identification has never been easier. The tools for manipulation are everywhere online, and creating a convincing fake no longer requires expertise in design software. Simple online generators can produce documents that look legitimate at first glance.

"It's incredibly easy," explains Matt Lisowski, Director of Product at Findigs. "You can get fake IDs online. I heard someone bought one from China and got it sent inside a stuffed bear. You can get your own generators, and those would often pass the sniff test if you just sent a picture to someone reviewing it manually."

Understanding how to spot these fakes—and when technology can help—has become essential for protecting your properties while making sure your real, qualified applicants aren’t inconvenienced by a long and tedious verification process.

Understanding different types of ID fraud

Not all identity fraud looks the same. Property managers need to recognize three main categories:

First-party fraud involves applicants using their real identity but with altered documents—perhaps changing their address or other details on an otherwise legitimate ID.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's complete identity, including their real name, Social Security number, and documentation.

Synthetic identity fraud represents the fastest-growing threat. Here, people combine real and fake information to create entirely new identities. They might use a real Social Security number from someone with no credit history—often children or elderly individuals—and pair it with a fake name and fabricated documents.

"Most commonly these days, we’re seeing synthetic," Lisowski notes. "It's like someone might take their real information but pair it with a different Social Security number, or maybe they fake their birthday."

This type of fraud can be particularly difficult to catch because these synthetic identities often develop credit histories over time, making them appear more legitimate by the time they reach rental applications. The scale of synthetic identity fraud has exploded in recent years. Federal Reserve analysis shows losses grew from approximately $8 billion around 2020 to over $30 billion in the past few years.

What to look for when reviewing IDs

When examining identification documents manually, several red flags should trigger additional scrutiny:

Formatting issues often reveal fakes. Check whether state seals and official insignia appear in the correct position and size. Fonts should match what you'd expect from that state's official documents. Even small details like text alignment can signal manipulation.

Address problems frequently expose fraudulent IDs. Be suspicious of addresses that don't exist, point to commercial properties, or reference P.O. boxes. Legitimate residential addresses should be verifiable.

Photo inconsistencies remain one of the most obvious tells. The photo should clearly match the person submitting the application, and the image quality should be consistent with official document standards.

Barcode verification provides a deeper check. The information encoded in a driver's license barcode should match exactly what appears on the front of the document. Mismatches often indicate tampering.

However, manual review has significant limitations. "If someone just sends you a photo of an ID and you're doing it manually, it's a lot easier for fakes to get through," Lisowski explains. "You're not going to catch a lot of things."

Property managers might feel comfortable spotting fake driver's licenses from their own state, but applications increasingly include international passports, work visas, employment authorization cards, and identification from dozens of different states and countries.

"If you're getting a Venezuelan passport, you've likely never seen it before. I don't know if you're going to know what a fake one looks like compared to a real one," Lisowski points out.

Even within the U.S., each state's identification documents have unique security features, layouts, and design elements. Staying current with all these variations while processing applications quickly becomes nearly impossible.

Industry experts agree. Recent reports warn that relying solely on visual ID checks or credit scores leaves you at risk and will not be sufficient to catch synthetic identities. Manual methods like eyeballing IDs simply aren't enough anymore.

Building a technology-first approach 

The most effective approach combines several verification layers working together. For instance, ID verification and identity graphs connect Social Security numbers, addresses, emails, and other data points to spot inconsistent information that reveals fake identities. Property managers also benefit from shared intelligence about behavioral patterns that synthetic identity users typically follow. Digital signals like IP logs, device fingerprinting, and selfie biometrics add another layer of protection that catches attempts manual review would miss.

"Looking at fraud holistically" provides the strongest protection, Lisowski explains. "We're looking at document fraud, identification fraud, and synthetic identity theft. When you piece these things together, it builds a stronger case for likelihood of fraud when some of the signals on their own may have been lower."

How Findigs address ID verification

Traditional ID verification focuses on whether someone’s drivers license, passport, or the like looks authentic, but today's sophisticated fraud requires a different approach. Synthetic identities often use real documents with fabricated combinations of information, creating non-existent people that slip through conventional screening. That's why Findigs analyzes patterns across multiple data sources to build a complete picture of who someone really is:

Multi-point document scanning reads barcode information, verifies fonts and layouts, and checks for signs of digital manipulation that would be invisible to manual review.

Device verification uses two-factor authentication and device fingerprinting to catch applications submitted from suspicious sources, including burner phones or VPN-masked locations.

Real-time database cross-referencing instantly verifies that submitted information matches official records, catching mismatched or stolen data immediately.

Biometric matching requires live selfies taken within the application, preventing the use of pre-existing photos or images of other people.

Behavioral analysis monitors how applicants interact with the system, flagging unusual patterns that might indicate fraudulent activity.

This multi-layered approach catches fraud that single-point verification might miss. When one verification method raises a flag, the system examines other data points to build a complete picture of the application's legitimacy.

Still worried about fake IDs? 

Even if you put your most well-trained staff on the job and asked them to play detective, it would be hard to gain confidence in catching fake IDs today if you're trusting manual review alone. 

Today's verification technology fights back against synthetic fraud by checking multiple signals at once—scanning ID barcodes, verifying information against official records, tracking application patterns, and matching photos to live selfies to catch the inconsistencies that give away fake identities.

The technology also speeds legitimate applications by quickly clearing authentic renters, reducing the time authentic applicants spend waiting for approval. This creates a better experience for everyone while maintaining strong security standards.

Property managers face a choice: continue relying on visual inspection that increasingly misses today’s new methods of fraud, or adopt verification systems that can keep pace. The right approach protects your properties without slowing down qualified applicants who deserve quick, fair decisions.

Want to see how identity verification works as part of a complete fraud protection system? Learn more about Findigs' approach to catching fake IDs before they become costly problems.