Digital Nomad Movement Linked to Growing Identity Fraud Concerns

Digital nomadism is the trend in which professionals travel outside their home countries while working remotely, and it has been linked to an increase in identity fraud. 

A recent survey conducted by Regula, a developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions, suggests that the rise in digital nomads around the world poses important questions about the future of remote work and proper identity verification systems for the traveling workforce. 

Regula’s survey of 750 fraud prevention decision-makers and 750 digital nomads from the U.S., U.K., Germany, Spain, UAE, and Mexico reveals that 80% of decision-makers associate the rise of digital nomads with an increase in identity fraud. This trend is particularly pronounced in industries like financial services and insurance, where the verification of foreign documents has become more frequent and challenging. 

According to the survey, since the summer of 2021 there has been an average 21% increase in foreign document verification worldwide — with higher rates in the U.S. and UAE. It’s reported that the increase of digital nomads globally has led to a spike in identity fraud, primarily because many businesses’ existing processes are ill-equipped to handle a wide variety of foreign IDs. 

This has led to a heightened risk of fraud, with 40% of business decision-makers citing increased fraud as a primary challenge in verifying the identities of digital nomads. The survey reveals an average growth of 14% in identity document fraud, with the insurance industry experiencing a 22% increase and financial and banking services at nearly 19%. 

In response to these challenges, businesses are adopting new methods and technologies for identity verification. The survey reveals that 57% of organizations have implemented biometric authentication. Additionally, 53% are now verifying only electronic documents, which contain security features like RFID chips that are difficult to counterfeit. This trend is even more prevalent in the most affected industries, with 61% of decision-makers in financial services and insurance reported to be opting for electronic document verification. 

The rise of identity fraud in the context of the digital nomad movement suggests that there is a need for more advanced and reliable verification processes — especially for remote work operations.