12Identity & fraudBelow the top 20
Synthetic identities against benefits systems
AffordanceImpact domainBoth
Statement (NASA form)
Given that benefits agencies authenticate with documents and faces models can forge, there is a possibility of a wave of claims attached to people who do not exist resulting in funds leaving the system, and genuine claimants treated as suspects.
Likelihood
3Probable
Consequence
3Major
Urgency
3Priority
Fraud at this quality forces the state to treat everyone as fake.
Composite 12 = 3×3 + 3
Applicable mitigations
Controls · Retire voiceprint as an authenticator · Real-time clone detection on high-risk lines · Out-of-band confirmation on a known number · Pace rules: no irreversible action faster than a human can reconstruct it · A real off-ramp that still functions · Contract-first delegation with privilege attenuation · Duty of care on high-stakes delegates