Sept. 13, 2024
Ever wonder how secure your online accounts really are? With everything moving online, phone verification is one of the best ways to button things up, and keep them secure. Online fraud is on the rise, it's good to make sure your phone is actually a real working phone that can receive texts, and strong verification prevents a lot of incidents of identity theft and unauthorized access, which is really important to businesses. In this post, I'll explore how to verify a phone number, why you might want to, and how you can optimize your processes. You'll know why phone verification is so important by the end, and how you can secure your app, reduce fraud, and give better user experiences.
Phone verification is a really valuable tool. It's the process of proving that a phone number is true. And not just true, but usable, and really does belong to who the person says they are. You might want to verify a phone number for a whole bunch of different reasons. Maybe you're creating an online account for someone and you want to know that you can trust this phone number. Maybe you're doing something with a transaction (like a payment) and you want to know that you can trust this phone number. Maybe you're a business and you want to verify a phone number for a customer before you start giving them customer support over text.
But phone verification is not just a defensive tool. It's actually also a powerful offensive tool to combat fraud. Fraudsters frequently use fake phone numbers, or phone numbers that aren't really theirs to game the system, to create fake identities, or to scam people. When you verify the phone number, you're helping to remove these risks, and that's why phone verification is a great thing. Whether you're a social networking app, a bank, or an e-commerce site, verifying phone numbers will help you create a safe space where people can trust each other.
There are a million ways to verify a phone number. The easiest way to do this is to send a one-time password (OTP) as an SMS or voice call, and ask the user to input a code they receive on their phone. This way, you verify the user, and you have an added layer of security in knowing that someone can't just hack into your account, or isn't using a fraudulent account.
But there are other ways to ensure your phone verification is secure. Maybe you have real-time validation, so you can verify numbers as users type out your online forms. This can provide a more seamless experience for your users, as the prompts and confirmations happen in the background without disturbing the user's form filling experience.
You might also have a call line test to see if a number is active. The effectiveness of this method varies widely based on regions and countries, particularly for international numbers. At the end of the day, it may depend on the industry and use case, but you want to communicate with real users.
By having people input their phone number and then verifying it, you can do a lot! You can use it to prevent a lot of fraudulent activity at the source, like people signing up who are under the age of 13, or spam. You can also use it to prevent a lot of fraudulent activity that would occur later, off platform, when people were creating fake identities. Phone verification services are also handy for marketing, as you'll have a genuine list of numbers you can reach. This leads to better marketing overall, better results and more people reached.
And, phone verification can be used for other things too. In a call centre, they won't have to dial a bunch of fake numbers or bot numbers and can save time and be more efficient. The data from the phone verification can be used for anything, to make better decisions. You kind of need a verification system in 2020, and you definitely need to use modern tech to do it. And modern tech can keep the data of the person you're verifying secure, and modern tech can make the experience for the person being verified better. So much better that the person being verified doesn't even know they are being verified and doesn't have an interruption in their flow of data entry online. A secure and usable experience, so you can have an honest and reliable interaction with the person using your platform.
Phone verification systems are a security measure that is increasingly being used. They ensure people really are who they claim to be, and that's why, whether it's setting up online banking or social media access, verifying a user's phone number has become a standard step in the authentication process. There are 3 primary ways to verify phone numbers: SMS verification, voice call verification, and API verification.
When you're verifying phone numbers, you can use SMS verification! You just send a text message with a one-time code (OTP) to the user's phone number, and they input that code back into your platform to verify the phone number is theirs. It's really easy to use because everyone has a phone, and everyone has SMS, so it's a very universal solution.
You might use SMS verification in real life, for things like e-commerce transactions, or when a user signs up for your website. In those cases, the user receives a code immediately, which they need to input back into your platform in order to proceed. That way, the phone number they gave you is the person who is trying to access your service.
That said, while you can use SMS verification for anything and everything, and it's really easy to set up and use, SMS verification also has some downsides. For example, SMS can be delayed due to network issues, or not arrive at all if the user is in an area with bad signal. Not only that, but third parties can read SMS and generally they're not very secure. But because they're so easy to set up and use, they're a good way of verifying phone numbers, even if they're not perfect.
One way to ensure number validity is to voice call to verify. This means you would call the user's phone number that they signed up with, and they will receive a one-time code, or get verbal instructions to say back to you to confirm that they are in fact, them.
Voice call verification has a number of advantages to using SMS codes. For one, you don't have to worry about SMS delay, or that the user didn't receive the code at all. It's also better for users who may not be very good at texting or might be situated in an area where text messaging just doesn't work very well.
From a security standpoint, employing voice calls is an additional measure to really ensure the person is who they say they are. Because the code is recited out loud, this means the user must physically be with their phone to verify, so it's a bit harder for a malicious person to impersonate and gain access to an SMS. However, voice verification is not without its drawbacks -- users may not be able to pick up calls because of network restrictions, or their phone is on silent. So while it's very effective, it's important to let the user know in advance that they need to pick up a call for this to work properly.
In a sentence, that's API validation. You send a request to a third party who checks to see whether a phone number is real, live, and/or some other details, and they send a response back to you in real time.
API validation is good for more than just ensuring a clean user database. Businesses can also use it to catch user errors in real time. Say a user accidentally types in the wrong number while signing up for an account; instead of just taking the number and letting the user continue, the website can prevent registration from completing and prompt the user to correct it before they proceed. It's also more secure. Because you can filter out fraudulent numbers, making it more difficult for users to take advantage of your website or app.
Because API validation is connected to telecom APIs, you can also use the service to get additional telecom data as well, like the city or country. There are also dozens of telecom carriers in the world -- you can't be expected to have direct relationships with all of them! A validation service will, so you'll be able to validate numbers virtually anywhere in the world. But because of the added benefits, API validation services tend to be paid (you have to cover the API usage), so you'll need to decide whether this added cost is worth the added security of the stricter validation process.
Now that you know the different ways to verify phone numbers (SMS verification, voice call verification, and API validation), you can see that a website can make smarter use of phone verification for both user registration and user authentication to create a truly secure and user-friendly experience. Each method has different advantages and disadvantages, and generally, you'll want to use some combination of all three verification methods, depending on your business and your customers.
In today's digital world, identity verification has become integral to establishing trust. Phone verification services are one of the ways that businesses can help prevent fraud and confirm that users are who they claim to be—increasingly, this is something that we're seeing applied broadly, across many use cases and industries. Here are a few of the more commonly used phone verification solutions.
Most businesses verify phone numbers at signup to ensure that the person signing up is who they say they are. This not only prevents fraud, it also makes for a higher quality customer database. For example, a business might collect a phone number from a user at signup, then verify that phone number to ensure it belongs to that user. By only verifying the phone number as belonging to the user, and not that the number is valid and in service, they can prevent both identity theft and fake accounts.
You can get even more security out of multi-step phone verification. For example, a business might verify a phone number by first making an automated call or sending an SMS. Then they not only know the phone number is real, they know for sure it belongs to the person signing up. Done right, they have a much more legitimate user base, which translates to higher retention and happy customers.
E-commerce platforms use one-time passcodes (OTPs) to verify phone numbers. They'll text a one-time passcode to the phone number they have for you. That way, they can make sure it's really you before they'll let you make a purchase. An added layer of security, especially when you're making a sensitive purchase like during checkout.
Picture yourself making an online purchase. You've entered your credit card and shipping information. Just before you place your order, you get a code and the system texts it to your phone. You can't finalize your order without entering the code. So the system not only blocks other people from purchasing on your behalf, it gives everyone (you too) peace of mind that the site has security under control.
Companies like Twilio, for example, have made great phone validation and verification tools that you can integrate into your current systems. Twilio can provide you with SMS or voice call verification, so you can pick and choose how you authenticate users, and you can trust that their information is reliable.
You might use Twilio, for example, to authenticate users when they sign up for your service, to onboard users smoothly. The system can automatically send a text message with a verification link or code, the user clicks the link or enters the code, and you're done. Plus you can have the tool check what kind of phone number this is-- mobile, landline, VOIP? And then you can change the delivery method depending on that. Very important because the world is mobile and you need to be able to reach your customers where they are!
When you have really strong verification tools, you can have a secure system that is also easy to use. And when you have really good phone validation, it means that you can have secure transactions, and you can have fraud mitigated online.
Verifying telephone numbers is an important aspect of digital security. It's a way to prove that you are really you when you tell someone a given phone number, and in theory helps improve security. But there are tradeoffs.
What are the benefits of phone verification?
Phone verification is probably one of the greatest, because you're able to tell whether or not someone's phone number is really theirs. This is usually done by having the user input a code that gets sent to them by SMS or phone call, so there's no way for them to just give you any old number. They need to be able to access the device the number belongs to. In practice, that's like when you receive a one-time code on your registered phone while you're logging into your online banking; it becomes a lot more difficult for someone else to log in and steal your money.
It keeps the user safe from potential unauthorized access.
As well as promoting trust between user and service provider, the user can take comfort in knowing there's an extra layer of protection if they're sharing their personal information online. It may even help deter fraudulent activity, benefitting society as a whole in an increasingly digital world.
Another big use case for phone verification is that it's super effective at preventing fraud. By verifying that a user is really who they say they are, e-commerce sites can make sure that their transactions are only being made by real, good faith users. E-commerce platforms use it to verify that the person making a purchase is really who they say they are because they don't trust emails, which are really easy to fake.
This helps them prevent things like account takeovers or identity theft. Unlike other forms of verification that might only confirm an email (which is easy to fake), having a mobile number on an account is a big hurdle for fraudsters. And they won't be able to create many fake accounts, so they get to protect the integrity of their business and the experience of their customers! Since e-commerce platforms have to pick up the bill for transactions and some really sensitive information, this is one of the few use cases that's much more than "nice to have."
Phone verification is all well and good -- if you have a phone. A lot can go wrong. What if you lose your phone? What if you get a new phone number? What if you're in an area with poor or no network?
Take the example of someone who travels outside the country and needs to access his bank account -- but he leaves his phone at home. Well, with phone verification he's out of luck; he won't be able to complete this important transaction. Relying on verification in this way will only frustrate users and result in lost opportunity and/or money. Organizations need to mitigate this risk carefully, because the more you lock legitimate users out with access issues, the worse their experience and the less they will trust you.
Phone verification is no silver bullet. The reality is, the security of phone verification may be compromised under certain circumstances. Bad actors are becoming more sophisticated. They might use a SIM swapping attack to take control of your phone number. Once they control your phone number, they can intercept your verification codes and access your security measures.
What's more, SMS messages are not end-to-end encrypted and can be intercepted in transit. This is a major issue—phone verification becomes useless if SMS messages are being intercepted! Companies should be aware that phone verifications alone are not a robust solution. Companies should take measures to secure their users and their brand with additional security layers. For example, 2FA + phone verification.
Clearly, phone verification is a complex and layered issue in today's day and age. If you're considering phone verification, factor in the above security and convenience considerations.
Phone verification is a vital part of confirming user identity—plus there are all kinds of applications in your app. Get it right and you'll make for a seamless user experience, and keep all the bad actors at bay. Read on for the need-to-knows of phone number verification so you can do it right.
When it comes to phone validation, a simple trick is to ensure users provide their phone number in a fixed format. And the easiest way to do that is by having them input it in E.164. E.164 is a standard that nearly everyone uses to record a phone number. It's the country code followed by the national number. For example, +14155552671 is a US number. By requiring users to input their number in this standardized format, you'll decrease errors and it will be much easier to process the verification requests on the backend.
Just one phone input helps identify correct phone numbers and international users. It will make sure your validation can recognize and read numbers accurately in different countries. Plus, viewable input will make the user more confident in what they're inserting as well.
Building your own retry logic for sending out verification codes is a great UX touch. A lot of the time, your users won't receive it on the first try for one reason or another (could be network issues, could be that they mistyped, could be that your system was slow, etc). With a smart retry, you can automatically send a new code if they haven't verified within a certain time frame.
For example, you might let users request a new code every X minutes, but only allow 1 request per 30 seconds attempts. That way, if they are struggling to receive the code, they won't get frustrated and not know what to do. You'll also want to have messaging guidelines in place to show the user how many times they've requested and when was the last time they've requested. So you can increase the likelihood that they can verify successfully, and they can't abuse your verification service.
Technology and data protection laws are always changing, so you need to keep updating your phone number validation. For example, new compliance standards like GDPR or CCPA could completely change how user data can be handled, stored, or used.
But you shouldn't verify phone numbers just for compliance. When you update your validation technology, you make sure that any potential vulnerabilities are covered, and your methods remain resilient against new fraud types. By continuously auditing and updating your phone number verification, you establish a framework for always improving your verification processes while maintaining compliance. That way, you're not only protecting user information, but you're also earning trust by showing your users that you responsibly and securely manage their data.
In order to improve phone verification even more, we want to make sure that users have a reason to provide their real personal phone number. This way we reduce fraud, and we can be really confident that the phone number belongs to the user. You can encourage users to provide their personal phone number by making the registration flow super clear and user-friendly, and explaining why it's so important to provide a real phone number in order to receive verification codes and other communication.
As an added bonus, you might want to explain how the user benefits from providing a personal phone number (improved account recovery, account security, and communication). Once users understand why it's important to provide accurate information, they'll actually provide real information so that we can have really high confidence that your data is real, which creates a safe environment for the user to trust that their data is safe, and in turn will use your product.
Phone verification is one of the most effective ways to ensure the phone numbers your users give you are accurate, and really theirs. It's useful for many applications like account sign-up, approving transactions, and proving account ownership. It's a really useful security check because the validity of the phone number can be trusted and used as a general security factor (e-commerce, online banking sites, etc.). Verification can be done in a number of ways, such as SMS, voice call verification, and API-based validation. It is an effective way to counter fraud and know that the user on the other end of your system is the person they say they are. There are issues, of course—what if the user does not have access to SMS or voice, and also vulnerabilities in these channels. But generally, if you standardize number formats, retry validation, and also encourage personal numbers, you will have a very powerful user verification system and trust users on your platform to a very high extent.
The purpose of phone number verification is to confirm that the phone number someone gives you is a valid, reachable number that belongs to the person they say it does. It's a system that allows to secure and authenticate messages, so you don't have to worry about scams.
Phone verification helps to reduce fraud and unauthorized access, and keep customer data clean, but it can also aid marketing efforts, and make operations more efficient by ensuring that communications are always reaching real customers.
People usually use SMS verification, where a one-time password (OTP) is sent to your phone, voice call verification, where you prove that you own a phone by answering a call, and API verification, where you check phone number validity in real-time using third-party services.
SMS verification is simple and commonly used to verify a user's identity quickly. But it has downsides like message delays, network issues, or vulnerability to hackers.
Voice call verification solves the undelivered SMS issue; users receive codes as a voice message by phone call. The trade-off is that the user has to answer the call, which isn't always possible.
API validation leverages 3rd party services to run live checks which validate phone numbers. Businesses can check if a number is working, its line type, carrier, and more, for more accurate, secure user data.
Use phone validation to confirm identities during user onboarding, secure e-commerce transactions with OTPs, and in general, use a mobile phone validation tool to be more confident that your customers are actually your customers.
Considerations include company requirements, industry best practices, user demographics, and the risk associated with different methods of verification, each of which has its own advantages and drawbacks.
Your organization can implement standardized phone number formats, retry logic for code delivery, stay ahead of tech and regulatory changes, and use incentives to encourage users to provide their actual, real, personal phone number to increase verification effectiveness.
Businesses should take into account the reliance on phone possession, weaknesses of SMS and voice, and the possibility for error when entering a number, in order to deliver a streamlined verification experience.
Person using a laptop to verify phone numbers
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