A Super Recogniser is a person with an innate ability to recognise faces. Only 1-2% of the global population who take the tests are classed as Super Recognisers.
At Yoti, our Super Recognisers match faces 1:1. This means they can compare the photo on an identity document with a selfie and determine if it’s the same person. We do this if our automated check does not conclude this with high confidence, to help with trickier account creations, or when businesses want increased confidence about a person’s identity.
Our highly skilled team of Super Recognisers also complete visual document verification checks to confirm the ID is genuine. This is done by checking details like the hologram, font and document layout.
But what exactly does it take to become a Super Recogniser? What does a typical day look like and how do our Super Recognisers ensure they stay at the top of their game?
Louise Bruder, our Training Manager and Super Recogniser tells us more about this unique role.
What does a Super Recogniser at Yoti do?
I don’t have a ‘typical’ day within my role at Yoti. I can be checking documents one minute and delivering training modules the next.
We can view hundreds of faces and documents in a day. Because of this, we must take regular breaks and engage in other activities that use different parts of the brain. Our job demands a high level of visual acuity, stamina, and attention to detail. It may not be a ‘physical’ job but it is just as demanding.
As well as verifying ID documents and completing face matches, our team regularly partakes in training activities, research projects and fraud analysis. It helps to broaden the scope of what we do, as well as improve our skills.
I am lucky to work closely with teams from across the world, so this also provides me the opportunity to learn about the diverse approaches to identity and fraud globally.
How do you know if you’re a Super Recogniser?
I started with an online test, available for anyone to try, and then progressed from there. I had to do numerous tests before passing the threshold to work at Yoti – it was a robust process. This enabled me to do 1:1 face-matching work with the confidence that I was higher than average for this kind of skill.
After a few years, I attended a dedicated course run by Super Recognisers International (with support from Greenwich University). We had a variety of tests during that week; long term memory, short term memory, picking out people from grainy CCTV footage, as well as a live deployment in London looking for ‘suspects’ – some of whom we only had an image of from 20 years prior. It was a combination of all these test results that led to me being categorised as a Super Recogniser and becoming a Licentiate.
Why do we have Super Recognisers and why is this role so important?
Given the nature of our work and the fact that we want our customers to have complete trust in what we do, we must strive to be the best in all areas. This includes our human decision-making as well as our market-leading tech.
Having a mixture of technology and incredible human ability working side by side is proven to give optimal results, and will go some way to gain the trust of people who are a bit wary of tech in general.
Having Super Recognisers at Yoti is just another way of saying that we care about what we do and the services we provide. It demonstrates our commitment to the same level of excellence in all of our processes, including our human decision-making, our ability to spot fraud, and our ability to match faces.
Do Super Recognisers have any training?
Our commitment to improving the quality of our people is second to none. Super Recognisers International hold their courses between 3-4 times a year and we send team members each time. They train side by side with police and security sector staff from around the world, and each time, we gain newly recognised Super Recognisers. Ongoing training ensures that we stay at the top of our game.
Additionally, every year we re-test all of our staff who do face-matching work. This demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we maintain the highest level of skill, accuracy and ability.
To learn more about our Super Recognisers, please get in touch.