The digital age has made it much easier to keep in touch with friends and family, even getting  a fake drivers licence is easy now, but it’s also made identity theft even easier. To make matters worse, the prevalence of social media has made it all too easy to collect personal information about your friends and loved ones—data that cyber criminals can use to steal your identity, too. While not every security breach will leave you completely vulnerable, there are still steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft online and in the real world, especially when it comes to verifying your identity with others. We’ll talk about this in detail below.

IDENTITY VERIFICATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Is it Safe?

It’s crucial to make sure you’re safe online. Identity verification is crucial to keep your private information safe and secure. When you have proof of your identity, it can help you unlock more features, settings, and apps on everything from social media to financial services. It also helps put a stop to cyber crimes like credit card fraud or identity theft before they happen.

Why is it Important?

Identity verification is a crucial tool for organisations and consumers alike. It serves as a critical step before accessing sensitive information, such as your health records or bank account. Without identity verification, it would be too easy for someone to pose as you and steal your personal information. However, there are always vulnerabilities that can make these systems vulnerable to attack or tampering. By reviewing some of these security concerns, you can arm yourself with what to look out for when dealing with any type of identity verification system in our digital age.

How to do it?

One of the most common ways to protect your identity is by getting copies of your documents (think birth certificate, passport, and driver’s licence) notarized. The notary seal acts as a legally binding promise that you are who you say you are. You can get them done at any local bank, for free. Another way to be certain about who you are dealing with online is by using sites like LinkedIn or Facebook as a reference point when trying to verify someone’s identity. Also ask for a second form of verification—like mobile number or email address—to ensure authenticity.

How to get started?

You should already have a profile on at least one social network. Start by adding your digital identity to it. If you don’t already have a profile, you can sign up with something as simple as your email address and a name. Once you’ve created your digital identity, try setting up two-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security to protect you from hackers who might want to access your information or accounts. With two-factor authentication, when you login online using a password (something you know), an SMS code is sent to your phone (something you have). This means that even if someone got hold of your password somehow, they still wouldn’t be able to log into any of your accounts because they wouldn’t have access to your phone number.

What type of verifications should you add?

With so many fraudsters out there, it’s important to verify that each user is who they say they are. Using a multi-factor authentication (MFA) tool will greatly increase your security—but be aware of your customers’ needs. If you’re a high-risk business that deals with sensitive data, consider asking all new users to use two or three factors. Alternatively, if you run an e-commerce site that sells typical products and doesn’t store its customer’s personal information, requiring just one factor might be sufficient.