JOHANNESBURG – The Ministry of the Interior is giving people who may have obtained their identity documents illegally the opportunity to appear in court.

WATCH | What are the consequences of identity fraud?

The department suspects that 700,000 identity documents may have been obtained fraudulently.

These documents will be cancelled if their owners do not provide explanations as to why this should not happen.

READ: Discussion | Most Common Methods of Identity Theft

This procedure brings with it an additional headache for the department: how can we put an end to the inconvenience caused by the blockade for holders of valid IDs, while IDs in the hands of unauthorized persons are withdrawn?

To help you with this, there is Smile ID founder and CEO, Mark Straub. Their recent study shows that the green ID book is a fraud magnet.