The identity verification industry (IDV) employs a great variety of approaches and technologies. When getting your identity verified for a loan or a job, you generally don’t have a choice. But when protecting your social web identity, you are likely to have more than one option. When considering different approaches to having your personal identity verified, keep the following 8 IDV tips in mind.
1. Avoid “Free” services. One way or another, sooner or later, they will sell your information. ReallyWho.com has a simple fee-for-service model based on keeping you, the customer, happy. ReallyWho.com charges $5 per year with a money-back satisfaction guarantee.
2. Use Identity Questions Based Systems. In the digital age, systems that rely on documents, such as driver’s licenses, passports, utility bills, etc. are simply too easy to fake, especially over the web. ReallyWho.com uses carefully developed questions based on your public and commercial records to which only you should know the answer.
3. Avoid companies that require SSN or use credit reporting services. If they ask for your SSN, they are very likely using Equifax, TransUnion, Experian, or one of the other credit reporting agencies. In these systems, your full credit history may be brought into the IDV process. ReallyWho.com needs no SSN & does not use credit reporting services.
4. Give once, use many times. Improve privacy and security by not giving your information for IDV to multiple sites. At ReallyWho.com you give your information once, and then use it to be ID verified at many sites.
5. Avoid IDV supported by employers. Employers always want to know more about you and pressure IDV services to find out more and more. At ReallyWho.com you are the customer, you control how much information is shown.
6. Use IDV systems that protect your privacy. Some systems don’t even use SSL encryption of their web pages. At ReallyWho.com information transfers are encrypted, we don’t even see records used to create ID questions, and special information and ID questions/answers are discarded after you are identity verified.
7. Know where your information is being stored and processed. Avoid services that process your info on off-shore, hosted or cloud servers. ReallyWho.com uses its own servers in North Carolina.
8. Avoid one-time IDV services. ReallyWho.com understands that verifying identities and websites is an ongoing process. Names and addresses change, fraud is discovered, profiles change, websites are added and deleted, and so on, requiring a continuing service relationship.
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