Short answer
Match the check to the role. A Document Verification Service check confirms the details on an Australian licence or passport match the government record, but the Attorney-General's Department notes it does not check faces. The most dependable way to confirm who sits the whole interview is an in-person photo ID check, at your office or a supervised venue.
Key takeaways
- 6% of candidates admitted to posing as someone else in an interview, or having someone else pose as them (Gartner, 2025).
- The Document Verification Service checks whether the details on an Australian ID document match the original record, but it does not check faces (Attorney-General's Department).
- Showing ID on camera at the start of a call proves less than it seems, because it can't confirm who answers the questions afterwards.
- Privacy guidance says not to copy an ID when sighting it would be enough (OAIC, 2019).
- Using the same check for every candidate, explained in advance, keeps the process fair and easy to defend.
Why does candidate identity matter in a remote interview?
Because a video call alone can't confirm that the person on screen is the person who applied. In a Gartner survey of 3,000 job candidates in the second quarter of 2025, 6% admitted to posing as someone else in an interview, or having someone else pose as them. Gartner also predicts that by 2028, one in four candidate profiles worldwide will be fake.
Identity misuse is common in Australia generally. The Australian Institute of Criminology found 21.9% of 10,335 online Australians surveyed had been a victim of identity crime and misuse in the previous 12 months.
The stakes are higher for remote roles with access to sensitive systems. In June 2022 the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center warned of more complaints about deepfakes and stolen personal information being used to apply for remote jobs, including IT, programming, database and software roles. Some of those roles had access to customer or financial data. In some interviews, the person's lip movements on camera didn't fully match the audio.
The FBI warning comes from the United States. We include it because it describes the method, not because it measures the Australian rate.
What are the main ways to verify a candidate's identity?
The main options are photo ID shown on camera, an ID upload with a document check, an online face match, or an in-person check at your office or a supervised venue. Each one proves something different, and only some confirm who actually sits the interview.
| Check | Checks the document | Matches the face to the ID | Confirms who sits the whole interview | Candidate travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID held up to the camera | Seen on screen only | Partly | No | None |
| ID upload with a document check | Against government records | No | No | None |
| Online face match against ID | Depends on the provider | Yes, at that moment | No | None |
| In person at your office | Sighted in person | Yes | Yes | To your office, often interstate |
| Supervised venue | Sighted in person | Yes | Yes | To a local venue |
Online checks are useful early in a process, for example before a shortlist. For a final interview or a technical assessment, it's worth having the stronger confirmation that the person who was checked is the person answering.
Can an employer check a licence or passport against government records?
Yes, through an approved identity service provider. The government's Document Verification Service (DVS) checks whether details such as name and date of birth on an Australian-issued identity document match the original record, and usually returns a simple yes or no. The Attorney-General's Department says it can verify 14 document types, including driver licences, passports, visas and Medicare cards, and is used by more than 3,500 approved organisations in Australia and New Zealand.
Identity service providers can run DVS checks on behalf of other organisations, and the department lists pre-employment identity proofing as one example. The provider doesn't pass on the DVS result itself. Instead it gives you an identity opinion, which is a confidence rating that the person is who they say they are.
There are two limits worth knowing. The department notes that the DVS does not check facial images, so a matching record doesn't tell you who is holding the document. Candidates must also give express consent first, and the guidance says consent can't be inferred or collected through an opt-out.
Is holding ID up to the camera enough?
Usually not on its own. It's better than nothing, but a webcam image is often too small to show a document's security features clearly, and the check only happens once at the start of the call.
After that moment, nothing confirms that the same person keeps answering, or that nobody is helping from off-camera. We cover the wider limits of watching a candidate through a screen in Can software detect AI use in a remote interview?
How do you check ID without collecting too much personal information?
Sight the document where you can, and only keep what you need. In its guidance on ID scanning, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner says an organisation should not scan or copy someone's ID if sighting it would be enough. Organisations covered by the Privacy Act must also take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify the information once it's no longer needed.
- Tell candidates before the interview which documents are accepted and why you're asking
- Record that the ID was checked and matched, rather than storing a copy of it
- Keep identity checks separate from work rights checks
- Set a deletion date for any images or recordings
Work rights are a separate question from identity. Employers that register for VEVO with the Department of Home Affairs can check whether a visa holder can work in Australia and on what conditions, but only with the visa holder's permission.
How do you keep identity checks fair for every candidate?
Use the same check for everyone at the same stage, and explain it up front. A check applied only to some candidates can feel like suspicion, and it's harder to defend if a decision is later questioned.
Accept a reasonable range of photo ID, since not every candidate holds a passport or a driver licence. Give a clear alternative for anyone who can't meet the standard option, and treat a mismatch as something to follow up calmly rather than an automatic rejection.
A supervised venue handles this consistently. At SmartVue, staff check each candidate's government photo ID against your candidate record before the session, and the integrity report records whether it matched. Devices go into a locker, and recordings are deleted after 24 hours.
Read how a supervised interview pod works, or see a sample integrity report. Pods also suit regulated roles in financial services and public sector hiring.
Frequently asked questions
Can employers check ID in a remote interview?
Yes, with the candidate's knowledge. Common options are sighting photo ID on camera, a document check through an identity service provider, an online face match, or an in-person check at an office or supervised venue.
Does the Document Verification Service check faces?
No. The Document Verification Service checks whether the details on an Australian-issued identity document match the original record and usually returns yes or no. It does not check facial images.
Should employers keep a copy of a candidate's ID?
Usually not. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner says organisations should not scan or copy ID if sighting it would be enough, and should destroy or de-identify the information once it is no longer needed.
Is checking work rights the same as checking identity?
No. An identity check confirms who a person is, while a work rights check confirms whether they can work in Australia. Employers registered for VEVO can check a visa holder's work rights with the visa holder's permission.
How does SmartVue check candidate identity?
Venue staff check each candidate's government photo ID against the employer's candidate record before the session. The integrity report then records whether the ID matched.
Sources
- Gartner, "Gartner Survey Shows Just 26% of Job Applicants Trust AI Will Fairly Evaluate Them", 31 July 2025
- Australian Institute of Criminology, Statistical Report 53, Cybercrime in Australia 2024, published 14 August 2025
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, "Deepfakes and Stolen PII Utilized to Apply for Remote Work Positions", 28 June 2022
- Attorney-General's Department, IDMatch, "About our services"
- Attorney-General's Department, IDMatch, "Identity service provider"
- Attorney-General's Department, IDMatch, "Consent obligations for private sector users"
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, "ID scanners", 29 May 2019
- Department of Home Affairs, "VEVO for organisations"
