The rise in digital trends is a positive sign but the fraudulent activities are worrisome for the financial industry. People are more inclined to digital apps for a better service experience but the crime rate indicates the density of the loopholes in the financial structure. E-commerce platforms or food delivery apps are generally used more in this digital era. KYC compliance mechanisms are necessary to avoid financial mishaps. One of the most important features of KYC is to verify address for safe and secure business transactions.
Financial Times reports a 39% rise in the fraud rate mainly associated with KYC and forged online address verification is promoted at a large scale for fraud purposes. The article would bring close attention to the significance of address verification for crime reduction.
What is Address Verification System?
Businesses are largely concerned with financial security and digital models provide mechanisms to validate address for enhanced data security. Address verification is basically about checking the address authentication of the customer before making any transactions. The right address is important to prove the identity whether is it valid or invalid. With time, verification of address is indispensable to keep the dirty tactics at bay.
Significance of Verification of Address
Organizations and financial industries are recommending address verification now for safety purposes. Without address details, customer details are incomplete and in case of any lapse, not only the digital onboarding customer is responsible but the company also. One of the most important features of KYC is to understand the value and attributes of address verification and the relevant documents. There is no space for crime acceptance in the digital world. Every industry like travel, food, services or corporate, etc. demands complete customer data including updated address details to approach the fraudster in case of any unwanted situation like credit card default, cybercrime, etc.
List of Documents for Verifying an Address
Financial channels are increasing day by day and digitization is at the top of their agenda. For a proper address verify, it is important to know the list of the documents required for the address verification. The list of documents included a passport, identity card, driver’s license, insurance agreement, utility bill, bank statement, rent document, Tax bill, etc. All these documents require digital verification for a valid proof of address verification and OCR software is used for systemic proofing. The software intelligently checks the validity of the documents. While checking, it extracts the name of the individual for verification. If the document is forged or photoshopped, the AI-enabled software indicates immediately. Furthermore, the address documents should not be more than three months older. It means, that all the details are required to be updated for constant monitoring.
Merits of Customer Address Verification
Businesses are expanding the scale of their protocols for large benefits. There is a bundle of address verification merits which are discussed below.
Curtails Crime rate
It is important to understand why businesses are inclining to more address verification approaches and it is because of rising frauds. Digital online address verification detects maximum chargebacks and according to Bloomberg reveals digital verification service provider ensures 100% verification to avert fraudulent actions. It signifies the need for robust address verification in billion dollars banking, insurance, or other financial industry.
Reduction in the Rate of Returned Shipments
Customer bad experience ends in losses for the company and no organization is ready to sustain consistently returned shipments. Financial Times reveals a surge in the returned shipment by 78% in 2021. It is estimated that $760bn of products were sent back.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Businesses prioritize customer expectations including business goals. Proper customer details including a valid address are mandatory for a better customer experience. For enhanced user experience updated record of customers is necessary to avoid fraudsters.
Compliance Regulatory Bodies
FATF comes first in regulatory compliance procedures to curb money laundering and terror financing. Installation of address verification feature ensures business security. All the features are not fully implemented but FATF is tightening restrictions around non-compliant stakeholders. World Bank, IMF, and other financial institutions are showing serious concern about online address verification compliance policies.
Final Thoughts
All the stakeholders should be united to combat fraudulent activities. Developed and developing parts of the world need to implement strict regulations to ensure KYC in every business sector. The rising digitization is changing the global financial dynamics. Address verification is becoming more common in financial sectors. Manual verification is not immune to the system anymore because it risks sensitive data and transactions. AI models are used to ensure the efficacy of the process and to secure the financial platform.