What does it mean to verify my identity and why do I have to do it? | Veterans Affairs (2024)

FAQs

What does it mean to verify my identity and why do I have to do it? | Veterans Affairs? ›

Identity verification is a one-time process that helps us make sure that the person creating your account is really you—and not someone pretending to be you. During this process, the account provider (Login.gov or ID.me) will ask you to provide certain personal information and identification (ID).

Identity verification is the process where you prove you are you — and not someone pretending to be you.

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The IRS proactively identifies and stops the processing of potential identity theft returns. You may receive a notice or letter asking you to verify your identity and tax return information with the IRS. This helps prevent an identity thief from getting your refund.

Digital identity verification is a key step during the account opening and customer onboarding process. By verifying the identity of an applicant, financial institutions can run checks to ensure that the applicant is not a fraudster, criminal, bad actor, or attempting a scam.

Why does ID.me ask for my social security number? ID. me's verification process requires collecting sensitive pieces of information, like your Social Security number (SSN). ID.me needs this information in order to uniquely identify you, a critical step to prevent impersonation and fraud.

Identity verification ensures that there is a real person behind a process and proves that they are who they claim to be. This prevents anyone from carrying out a process on other people's behalf without authorization, creating false identities, or committing fraud.

Requirements for identity verification

Your drivers license or state ID card. You can upload a photo of your ID by phone or by computer. If we can't verify your phone number, you can verify by mail instead.

Social Security numbers and birth dates for those who were named on the tax return. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number letter if the you have one. Your filing status. The prior-year tax return.

What Is an IRS Letter 5071C? If the IRS suspects that a tax return with your name on it is potentially the result of identity theft, the agency will send you a special letter, called a 5071C Letter.

Your information is secure

ID.me uses bank-grade encryption to keep your personal information safe.

What is the main purpose of verification? ›

Verification is intended to check that a product, service, or system meets a set of design specifications.

If a message says 'billing problem with previous purchase' or 'verification required' If these messages appear, you might be unable to make purchases, download free apps, or use subscriptions. To fix the issue, change your payment method.

Organizations need to verify identity to prevent identity fraud, manage risk, and reduce exploitation. Government, financial, medical, and legal services all need to verify a user's identity too.

It's about protecting you from scammers who may try to set up an account in your name to access your information and benefits. After you verify your identity, you won't have to do it again for that account unless you lose access to your account's multifactor authentication method or need to recreate your account.

The process of confirming or denying that a claimed identity is correct by comparing the credentials (something you know, something you have, something you are) of a person requesting access with those credentials previously proven and stored in the PIV Card or system and associated with the identity being claimed.

Contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at 1-800-908-4490 or visit them online, if you believe someone is using your SSN to work, get your tax refund, or other abuses involving taxes. Order free credit reports annually from the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).

Authentication is verifying the identity of a user or computer system. The authentication process is done to verify that the person using the system or requesting access to it is who they claim to be.