Incode launches GovFaceMatch for US state DMV checks

Incode has launched GovFaceMatch, a biometric identity verification product that checks a live selfie against US state DMV records. It says the service is the first in its market to offer matching against official motor vehicle databases.

The product is part of Incode's GovMatch group of tools, which combines image-based and data-based checks against government records. GovFaceMatch verifies a person by comparing a selfie with a photo held in a participating state Department of Motor Vehicles database and by checking personal details against the corresponding identity record.

The system returns a simple match result after a two-step process: an ID barcode scan and a selfie capture. Incode says the process takes an average of 10 seconds and improves conversion by 20% compared with document-based verification.

The launch comes as businesses face growing pressure to strengthen identity checks as synthetic identity fraud and stolen identity fraud become harder to detect. Incode says fraudsters are increasingly combining stolen personal data, AI-generated documents and their own images to bypass older verification systems.

The company linked the trend to wider concerns about AI-enabled fraud. It cited its analysis of 66 independently sourced US AI fraud cases alongside FBI and FTC loss data, arguing that increasingly autonomous AI agents are being used to generate identities, documents and deepfakes at scale.

According to figures cited by Incode, USD $3.3 billion was lost to synthetic identity fraud in 2024, and losses could exceed USD $20 billion by 2030. It also said that of USD $20.9 billion in fraud losses reported to the FBI in 2025, USD $893 million was identified as AI-enabled.

Fraud trade-off

For many organisations, identity verification has long involved a trade-off between deterring fraud and keeping customer journeys simple enough to avoid abandonment. Incode says 40% of legitimate users abandon document-based verification, arguing that extra checks intended to improve security can also drive away genuine customers.

GovFaceMatch is intended to reduce that tension by moving the check closer to the original government record. Incode says this produces 1,000 times fewer false acceptances than data-only checks and 150 times fewer than document-based verification.

Ricardo Amper, founder and chief executive officer of Incode, set out the company's view of the fraud challenge.

"99.9% of the fraudulent identities that slip through data-only checks today are stopped cold by GovFaceMatch," said Ricardo Amper, founder and chief executive officer of Incode.

He added that existing methods were no longer sufficient as fraud techniques become more automated.

"For decades, the identity verification industry has operated on probabilistic signals - not because it was the right answer, but because there was nothing better. As fraud becomes an autonomous, machine-speed problem, GovFaceMatch gives our industry its first real edge in the fight ahead," Amper said.

State records

A key part of the product is its use of state-held records rather than relying only on documents presented by the user or on data checks from third-party sources. Incode described the government identity record as a source a fraudster cannot fabricate in the same way as a synthetic profile, altered document or deepfake image.

It also said the wider GovMatch suite reaches more than 95% of the US population through image-based and data-based verification options. That broader coverage is intended to support organisations that need to verify users across different states and use cases.

Georgia's Department of Driver Services is one of the participating agencies mentioned by Incode. The department said the arrangement allows private-sector partners to rely on trusted state identity records, subject to user consent.

"Identity is the foundation of trust in nearly every transaction that matters, from opening a bank account to accessing healthcare. As the agency responsible for issuing that identity credential, we have a duty to help get it right," said Commissioner Angelique B. McClendon of the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

McClendon added: "By working with Incode, we're enabling private-sector partners to rely on the same trusted records we do, with clear consumer consent at every step. Georgia DDS is proud to be part of a partnership that strengthens the broader identity ecosystem."

Privacy controls

Privacy and data handling are likely to be central issues for any service that involves biometric checks against government records. Incode says all biometric matching is carried out within the DMV environment and that it does not receive or store biometric data or the database portrait held by the state.

The service operates under each participating state's legal and data retention requirements and requires explicit user consent, according to Incode. It also said facial biometrics can be deleted immediately after verification.

Incode says it works with eight of the top 10 US banks and seven of the top eight global telecom providers, and has processed more than four billion identity checks worldwide.