Nigerian Government Launches e-ID Card to Tackle Fraud

The incidence of fraudulent email originating from Nigeria has hit such high levels that the Nigerian government itself has had to step in. The government has launched the National Electronic Identity (e-ID) Card, in collaboration with Mastercard, in the hopes of repairing the country's damaged reputation from notorious "Dear Friend" scam emails.

Fraud investigation firm, Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations, reported losses of $12.7 billion in 2013 as a result of scam emails; an activity that is growing by 5% each year.

On top of that, Nigeria's Inter-Bank Settlements Systems has a big identity theft problem, with the country's banks losing an estimated 159 billion naira ($800 million) between 2000 and 2013 through electronic fraud.

Chris Onyemenam, chief executive of Nigeria's National Identity Management Commission, said the e-ID card is:

"Capable of identifying two identical twins by the use of biometrics", that it is "actually addressing the issue of multiple identities by some Nigerians" and "helping security agencies verify and fish out who the real culprit is."

The e-ID card uses Match-On-Card technology, which matches the owner's fingerprint against a profile stored in the embedded chip, and contains electronic identification information and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology for document signing, non-repudiation and encryption.

If you are facing allegations of fraudulent activity, contact our fraud solicitors on 01159 419 141 for advice.

The Johnson Partnership

Fraud Solicitors