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Verifying identity

Topics relating to managing people and relationships

sonny_1080

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I'm making a spreadsheet where people can post reviews of a certain type of business. I want the businesses to be able to update their information directly on the list, but I need to make sure they are who they say they are.

What is the fastest, easiest, simplest way I can get the owners of these businesses to verify their identity?

Other than getting there phone number and email and calling them, I read something about getting their credit card information and doing a $1 hold to authorize the transaction and verify the identity that way. I have no idea how to do that, but I can learn.

Is this the easiest way to go about what I'm trying to do?
 
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Knugs

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Do you seriously think somebody is going to give you their credid card details and personal information?

What info do you need? Why should a business update their information on the list.
 

sonny_1080

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Do you seriously think somebody is going to give you their credid card details and personal information?

What info do you need? Why should a business update their information on the list.
For a $1 hold on their credit card to authorize their identity? Yeah I think they’d do that.
 
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sonny_1080

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sonny_1080

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Knugs

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For a $1 hold on their credit card to authorize their identity? Yeah I think they’d do that.
What do they get in return?

Let A/B testing sort this question out because never in my mind would I put in the effort and take the risk with a contact I dont know.

Paypal might do it but the process is much different.

I still think there is a much easier/better ways to do it.

*Clearly I dont understand your business**
 
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sonny_1080

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sonny_1080

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got it.

Still curious to find out if you are able to validate your theory regarding credit card verifcation.

Perhaps as an alternative idea accepting their e-mail domain-endings as verification is good enough?

How is google doing it?
These are businesses that are run out of single family homes. 98% of them don’t have websites.
 

sonny_1080

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Honestly you could probably do pretty well just developing a business ID verification API
Not all of these businesses are going to have DBAs or EIN numbers.

The verification has to come from the address.

So I guess the better question is: how do I verify someone owns a house?
 

Walter Hay

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Not all of these businesses are going to have DBAs or EIN numbers.

The verification has to come from the address.

So I guess the better question is: how do I verify someone owns a house?
I think I have guessed what niche you are planning your review site to cover, but even if my wild guess is wrong I believe there is a real need for a trustworthy review site in many industries.

I can't offer much help on how to obtain verification of the business, but I do know that authenticity of both the businesses being reviewed and the people submitting the reviews will be critical to success.

If it is possible for you to declare how you are doing it, revealing the authentication process on your site would give it considerable trust value.

If the address is all important but the ownership is not, using a letter requiring a signed receipt would give you the proof of residency.

Walter
 
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