Photo substitution

Replacing the portrait on a real ID with someone else's face.

The document is otherwise genuine, but the photo now shows a different person, so that person can use the ID as their own.

Substitution of the facial portrait on a genuine document, detectable via print, layer, and template analysis.

A photo substitution typically works like this:

1. The fraudster obtains a genuine document.
2. They remove or cover the original portrait and place a new one.
3. They present the document and hope the new photo passes as the original.

Detection looks for the traces the swap leaves:

• Print analysis, which finds differences in ink, resolution, and texture between the portrait and the rest of the document.
• Layer analysis, which finds signs that a laminate or overlay was lifted or replaced.
• Template analysis, which finds portraits whose size, position, or ghost image does not match the genuine design.

Photo substitution sits next to terms that are easy to mix up:

• Morphing attack blends two faces into one photo that matches both, while substitution replaces the photo with a different face.
• Document tampering is the broader category that includes swapping a portrait.
• Face match (1:1) compares the portrait with a live selfie, which a substituted photo can pass if it shows the person presenting the document.