How to check identity online

If your business has compliance obligations or offers an age-restricted service, then it’s vital that you check the identity of your customers. By doing this, you can ensure that you’re compliant with relevant legislation and you can stop bad actors from exploiting your services. 

Checking the identity of your customers is a simple process that can be achieved in three steps. It can also be completed in only a couple of seconds and won’t have a negative impact on your conversion rates.

In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at how to check identity online and how Veriff can help. But first, let’s discuss when you should check someone’s identity and why checking identity online is so important.

When to check someone’s identity

There are a number of reasons why you may need to check someone’s identity online. For example, if someone is trying to access an age-restricted service, take out a financial product like a loan, or wants to apply for a license or certification, then they need to prove that they’re exactly who they say they are.

Why you should check identity online

Customers use an ID to confirm that they’re exactly who they’re claiming to be. However, the identity verification process is just as important for businesses as it is for customers. By checking a customer’s identity before you allow them to make a purchase or access your services, you can experience a number of advantages, including:

• Know your customer (KYC) compliance
• Anti-money laundering (AML) compliance
• Fraud prevention
• Accurate age verification
• Efficient user onboarding

Although it may sound complex, the process of verifying someone’s identity online is simple and can be completed in a matter of seconds. With this in mind, let’s take a detailed look at how to check an identity online using our software.  

Step-by-step guide on how to use the Veriff identity verification solution

To show you how easy it is to check identity online, we thought we’d break down the steps our online identity verification solution goes through. Here at Veriff, we believe that checking an identity is as simple as 1-2-3.

1. Verification flow

During this stage of the process, user data is gathered so that it can be analyzed during verification sessions.

To the eye of your customer, the verification flows look simple. However, most of the work happens behind the scenes. By using browser and device analytics, optional background video checks, and other data-cross-checking methods, we can maximize accuracy. As an added bonus, because these processes happen in the background, they don’t affect your conversion rates.

2. Configure the verification engine and enable the checks you need

At Veriff, we understand that the AML and KYC requirements of each business are unique. As a result, we work with you to determine which data inputs we should gather and what checks need to be completed. This means that end-user flows can be as simple as an automated ID check or as advanced as a fully recorded and manually reviewed session including selfies and a photo with their selected ID.

On top of this, optional features make it possible to scale fraud protection up or down according to your requirements for compliance, speed, and conversions. You can take advantage of:

• Manual and automated ID checks
• Biometric analysis
• Liveness checks
• PEP and sanctions checks
• Network and device analytics

3. Monitor results in real time

With the help of our one-stop verification platform, Veriff Station, you can then sit back and view session statuses in real time. You can also automate the flow of information with webhooks and assign data permissions that keep user data secure in a GDPR-friendly manner.

To help make matters even easier, you can also test your integration before it goes live. We even offer a 30-day free trial, including 100 free verifications and 14 days of integration support to help you get started.

Using our full-service identity verification solution for compliance and KYC really is as easy as that. By leaving the identity verification to us, you can focus on doing what you do best.

FAQs

To help you learn even more about how our online identity verification solution can help your business, we’ve answered a number of popular customer queries.

How long does it take to verify identity online?

Verifying an identity online is a quick and simple process. In fact, verification is almost instant and customers can get an approved verification in as little as six seconds.

What sources are used to verify identity?

Our global reach allows you to verify customers from all corners of the world. As well as allowing you to select between 40 languages and dialects, we support over 12,000 government-issued IDs from 230+ countries and territories.

We use machine learning to compare ID photos with our specimen database. This process can then be followed up with a manual review conducted by a team of trained specialists. We can also extract the data and run it through PEP and sanctions watchlists to determine if a person is prohibited from using your services.

Will online identity verification impact my conversion rate?

When done properly, checking an identity will not have a negative impact on your conversion rate. As well as verifying users in six seconds, we automate 98% of checks and verify 95% of users on the first try. All this means that honest customers will have no problem accessing your service.

Speak with the identity verification experts at Veriff

Interested in learning more about how to check identity online? Speak with the identity verification experts at Veriff.

Get a personalized consultation and demonstration from an identity verification expert on our team today. We’d love to show you how our solution can help you meet your AML and KYC obligations. Alternatively, take a look at our pricing plans to see how much checking identities online could cost your business.