Knowing who you’re doing business with is a must, especially if you are dealing with significant documents like agreements and contracts. All the more when you do it online. You cannot just let anyone affix their electronic signatures without providing some proof of identification. Who knows? They could be using someone else’s information with the intent to commit fraud.
Here’s the thing:
Asking someone to verify their identity online is easy. You can even do it without asking them to submit their identity documents by email or fax. Thanks to our new feature called signer ID verification, you can prevent identity theft and minimize the risk of fraudulent transactions.
Go ahead and take a closer look:
What Is Signer ID Verification?
Signer ID verification (or ID verification) is a new feature that prompts signatories to prove their identities before completing a request or transaction. To do so, they must submit a copy of a government-issued ID and undergo a selfie check.
Government-issued IDs usually include a recent photo, complete legal name, birth date, and the date of issuance. For example, a passport or Social Security card can be used to confirm one’s identity.
What Are the Benefits of Using Signer ID Verification?
In a 2021 survey, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported identity theft as the leading cause of consumer complaints. By taking the necessary action to protect your transactions, you can ensure the safety of your confidential data. You can also protect yourself from falling victim to online scams.
Enabling signer identity verification for signature requests offers plenty of benefits:
1. Builds customer trust
They are more likely to trust your business if you can prevent identity theft by offering biometrics ID verification as another layer of protection. The lack of visible security could drive away potential clients, so make sure to display this on your website to increase your conversions.
2. Ensures full compliance
Ensure that your transactions are up to par with international laws and regulations. Signer identity verification helps you comply with the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements.
3. Prevents fraud
Know who you are dealing with and quickly flag any suspicious activity by asking your signatories to submit a photo of any government-issued ID. Your signatories can only view and sign your documents after successfully passing scrutiny.
4. Enables remote ID verification
Instead of asking signatories to undergo a KYC check in person, you can simply ask them to go through an online identity check. They can do so using a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone.
5. Speeds up your workflow
Fill makes it easier for you to authenticate users in one seamless transaction. The moment you send the request, our app will automatically ask your signatories to undergo a series of authentication steps.
Want to know the best part?
The signer ID verification feature is now available to all Fill Pro users. For as low as $1.99 per credit, you can already integrate identity proofing into your esignature workflow. Note that you need at least one credit to send an esignature request with signer ID verification enabled.
Start by creating an account today to see it in action.
How Does Identity Verification Work?
Fill uses automated ID document verification and biometric verification to screen users and prevent anyone from committing fraud. To enable this feature, you need to go through the following steps:
- Sign up for a Pro account or avail of the 7-day trial. If you are already a Pro user, simply proceed to the next step.
- Go to your web dashboard and look for the Identity Verification option under Tools. Note that you need at least one credit to enable the said feature. You can purchase credits using your credit card or PayPal account.
3. Go back to the dashboard and click Start Now. Under Who’s Signing, select Several People and upload your document via the select button or do it via drag and drop.
4. Next, specify the emails of your signatories. You can also customize the signing order for each document. Fill out the rest of the required fields, including the due date.
5. Now, here comes the exciting part. Look for the Require ID Verification option at the topmost part of the screen. Move the toggle switch to the right to enable it. Once done, click Continue.
6. Complete the rest of the steps by adding at least one signature field for each signatory.
7. Once everything is set, click Send.
You will get email and in-app notifications as soon as your recipient views the request. The moment your signatory tries to view the document, the prompt for identity verification will automatically pop up.
From this point on, your signatory must perform the following steps:
- Selfie check. Our app will ask your signatory to take a selfie.
- ID verification. At this point, the app will ask for a photo of your signatory’s passport, driver’s license, or any valid government-issued ID.
The entire verification process should take no less than a few minutes. Failure to pass the identity check will automatically block the signer from proceeding. You can also check the timestamps to see if someone attempted to access your document without permission but failed due to signer identity verification.
Note that your signatory does not need to sign up for a Fill account. They can verify their identity and access the document as soon as they receive the esignature request. This will, however, limit them from sending their own requests. If they want more control over their documents, the best way to do it is to create a free Fill account.
Why Is Identity Checking Important?
Running an identity check will help secure your documents from all kinds of security threats that may lead to costly damages. If you do not confirm the identity of signatories, you may end up violating data privacy regulations, including HIPAA, GDPR, and DPA. Not only that, but you are also putting the safety of your clients at risk as they are only a click away from getting their sensitive information stolen.
By asking a signatory to validate their identity, you can minimize the risks of fraudulent activities. It will also help improve your reputation since you can position yourself as a business that will go above and beyond to secure data against unauthorized access.
The Easiest Way to Verify the Identity of Your Signers
Why waste time and resources on the usual client verification and authentication methods? With Fill, you can effortlessly add another layer of security to safeguard your documents from unscrupulous people.
If your goal is to boost productivity while minimizing the risk of identity theft, go ahead and enable the signer ID verification feature on your Fill web account.
Here at Fill, you can feel at ease knowing that we take privacy and online security very seriously. If you are interested in learning more about our identity proofing feature, sign up for a Pro trial account or get in touch with our friendly sales team to request a free demo.
