How to use enhanced data insights for address verification
Have you ever used the electoral roll to verify someone’s address, only to run into a whole host of red flags?
If you’re using the electoral roll as your source of truth, you’re actually putting yourself in danger of being fooled by bad actors. That’s because it’s all too easy to edit by individuals looking to obscure their true address and identity.
But what about a council tax bill, or a bank statement? A determined individual can even edit those – in this day and age, anyone can access photo or document editing software and a printer to alter an address. And the rise of generative AI means criminals have yet another tool in their arsenal to create a fake proof of address document.
And beyond that, too many law firms still rely on manual form-filling. That adds an extra layer of friction that makes it difficult to gather the kind of information they need to push on with client onboarding.
That’s why firms need to find a solution that takes them further.
How to take ID verification beyond the basics
For most law firms, address verification is as simple as asking a client to fill out a form, and sending it back with one or two pieces of evidence – typically a council tax or utility bill, and a bank statement.
Usually this is more than enough, but this kind of evidence is easy to tamper with or falsify, and bad actors trying to hide their identity are more than happy to present solicitors with fake documentation.
The electoral roll is the next step in identification, but even that can easily be edited. Authorities don’t require much convincing that you live at an address, making it very easy for individuals to simply claim on the electoral roll to live somewhere they don’t.
So what’s the solution?
When verifying addresses, Checkboard goes beyond the electoral roll. We use multiple reliable sources to confirm a person’s place of residence; most importantly, we leverage data from Equifax to access an individual’s credit file.
A credit file cannot be tampered with or edited by the individual in question, making it the most reliable way to confirm their address and identity. This helps us confirm any associated bank accounts, mortgages, utility agreements, and more, giving you the best possible overview into their identity.
Checkboard gives you the trust and peace of mind you can’t get from the electoral roll alone.
Why additional searches are important
In addition to address verification, Checkboard can facilitate AML checks, mortality checks, and PEPs and sanctions screening. By conducting these extra checks, Checkboard helps solicitors generate a much more holistic picture of their clients.
All this is performed in a secure, regulated environment, including through the use of one-time password (OTP) verification, now required by more and more firms.
Checkboard’s approach allows solicitors to gain a more complete picture of their clients and ultimately assess them with accuracy and confidence.
Solicitors should embrace the opportunities of technology that goes beyond the basics. Get in touch to find out how Checkboard takes you there.
A version of this article was originally published on Legal Futures.
