PANAMA CITY, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crossmatch, a leading provider of security and identity management solutions, today unveiled a new solution aimed at combatting fraud, waste and abuse in assistance operations around the world. The solution was introduced at the Action on Disaster Relief conference in Panama City, a key meeting point for UN agencies and foreign assistance organizations throughout Latin America.
Fraud, waste and abuse are a largely unacknowledged problem in the foreign assistance and disaster relief sector. From ghost beneficiaries to "leakage" from aid warehouses, the entire assistance supply chain is vulnerable to exploitation.
The World Food Program (WFP) reports over $10 million in unaccounted for assistance annually, acknowledging that the true number would likely never be known due to insufficient reporting from the field. An estimated twenty percent of all losses are due to theft.
"Biometrics – the use of physical characteristics to identify individuals – offer a powerful tool for accountability in assistance operations," noted Ben Ball, Market Director with Crossmatch and a speaker at the conference. "Recognizing the advantages of this technology, international organizations such as UNHCR and the WFP have started to experiment with the use of biometrics as a tool for accountability in delivery of assistance."
The Crossmatch Foreign Assistance/Disaster Relief Solution provides the workflow and capability to drive accountability and traceability to assistance missions. Connecting biometrics to an assistance delivery record gives aid agencies the ability to target their efforts for maximum impact. By providing an assured method of accounting for who has received benefits, the Crossmatch solution allows for real-time monitoring of impact in the field.
Assistance organizations can definitively account for where their funds are going. "Biometrics can also be used for internal controls – from warehouse access to tracing who is delivering assistance in the field," added Ball. "We provide a powerful tool for preventing fraud, waste and abuse through the "leakage," which is all too common in many aid supply chains."
Interested in learning more about the role biometrics can play in your assistance operations, read the whitepaper or visit blog.crossmatch.com.
ABOUT CROSSMATCH
Crossmatch solutions solve security and identity management challenges for hundreds of millions of users around the world. Our proven DigitalPersona® Composite Authentication solution is designed to provide the optimal set of authentication factors to meet today's unique risk requirements and afford complete enterprise authentication coverage. Crossmatch identity management solutions include trusted biometric identity management hardware and software that deliver the highest quality and performance required for critical applications. Our solutions support the financial, retail, commercial, government, law enforcement and military markets. With 300 employees and customers in more than 80 countries, Crossmatch sets the standard for innovation and reliability.
SOURCE Crossmatch
