This guide is for individuals going through a Persona-powered identity verification flow. While we’ve included helpful tips, the verification was set up by the business, service, or organization that asked you to verify. They use Persona as a tool, and they ultimately decide what’s required and can assist with your specific situation, if you’re having trouble.
Why is a business asking me to verify my identity?
When a business asks you to verify your identity, it is usually for one of these reasons:
- To protect your account. Personalized services like banking, social media, and email often verify your identity before giving you access, so that the person requesting access is actually you.
- To prevent fraud. Verifying that you are you stops someone else from using your name, photo, or ID to open accounts or make purchases in your name.
- To comply with the law. Many industries are required by law to know who their customers are, including financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications.
- To make sure you are eligible. Age-restricted services may verify your identity to confirm you meet their requirements.
Why is Persona doing the verification?
Persona provides the technology that powers the verification. The business you are using chose Persona to run the identity check on its behalf, the same way a business might use a payment processor to handle a card payment. Persona does not decide whether you are verified; the business does, using the results Persona returns.
How do I know the request is legitimate?
Verification requests can arrive as a link, a QR code, or a step inside an app. To check that a request is genuine, you can go directly to the service you are trying to use, sign in as usual, and look for the verification step there. The business that sent you to Persona can confirm they use Persona and can tell you why you are being asked to verify.
If you are worried that a message asking you to verify is a scam, do not click any links in the message. Go to the company’s website or app on your own, and check for the verification request there.
Does verification happen automatically?
It can. Some businesses ask everyone to verify when they sign up. Others ask for verification only when they need to confirm something, for example when you try to reset a password, recover an account, or sign in from a new device. Being asked to verify does not mean you have done anything wrong.