Whether it’s a passport, driver license, employee credential, proof of insurance, or the student ID card, credentials are becoming more sophisticated to prevent fraud. And ID cards with specific text or embedded data used to confirm the identity of the cardholder is becoming increasingly common.

A chink in the armor, however, is that unique cardholder identifiers only truly work when the person checking ID cards has the right tools — specialized hardware, readers, database access, and proper training — at their disposal.

That, according to HID Global’s “Avoiding an Identity Crisis” white paper, is where a card’s visual security becomes the critical first line of defense against ID fraud. In any setting where proper ID vetting is required, personnel need to be able to easily and readily identify that the person holding an ID card is, in fact, the legitimate cardholder. Advanced visual security elements protect the cardholder’s identity, as well as reduce an institution’s risk associated with counterfeiting.

In the white paper, read how advanced visual security on campus cards can be a natural complement to many of the newer technologies that universities have been implementing in recent years, and how a card with advanced visual elements can be a more robust replacement for conventional, less secure technologies like magnetic stripe.

Also covered in the white paper is a rundown of HID’s vanGO card personalization solution. Aimed at providing a cost-effective, highly secure means to implement personalized visual security elements, the solution can be leveraged to provide a level of ID personalization that is not possible with conventional holograms and at a lower cost than laser engraving.

For any campus that’s facing fraudulent IDs or counterfeiting, or that has considered folding in more advanced visual card elements, HID Global’s “Avoiding an Identity Crisis” white paper is an informative resource that can set your campus down the right path.