THE differentiation between authentic and fraudulent documents in the financial sector is to top the list of areas for focus at the upcoming ‘Identity and Document Authentication Seminar’ scheduled for December 1.

The annual event, hosted by the Jamaica Institute of Financial Services (JIFS) in collaboration with the Jamaica Bankers’ Association (JBA), is this year being held under the theme ‘Staying Alert’.

As bodies established to provide support to the country’s financial sector, JIFS and JBA have curated the seminar to inform and educate players on how to detect financial crimes often committed through fraudulent documentation, the use of counterfeit or manipulated identity documents, and counterfeit banknotes.

“With most organisations now accepting documents digitally to make daily operations simpler and more convenient for themselves and their clients, document examiners must be aware and have the knowledge and skills necessary to correctly identify and confirm the authenticity of documents that are presented to them,” a JIFS news release stated.

“It is crucial that personnel within the financial sector learn to be able to spot the difference between authentic and fraudulent documents. The purpose of this seminar and other JIFS initiatives is to ensure that,” it also said.

The keynote address at the hybrid event, which will get underway on Thursday, is to be delivered by Dr Warren Vernon, programme director for the National Identification System (NIDS) in the Office of the Prime Minister. He will be speaking on the topic ‘NIDS — authenticating national identity’ while highlighting features of the new national identification and how to determine its authenticity.

Other speakers will include Stacey-Ann Escoe, co-chair of the JBA’s anti-fraud committee, who will be speaking on the topic ‘Fraudulent documentation – being aware’; Beverley East, forensic document examiner, will present on ‘Who’s signature is it? Authenticating signatures’; and Lorrette Bennett, assistant director in the currency department of the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), will be presenting on the topic ‘Authenticating Jamaican bank notes’.

“Expected participants will include internal and external auditors, credit officers, risk officers, fraud investigators, operations personnel, compliance officers, human resources, and other front-line staff from financial institutions in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries who verify documents in their daily work operations,” JIFS said.

JIFS, formerly known as the Jamaica Institute of Bankers (JIOB), was established in 1977 by the BOJ. It is the education arm of the JBA whose mandate is to provide training and development opportunities for the financial services sector.