eCommerce has revolutionized the way people shop, providing quicker and more convenient services for consumers. With a few clicks on their mobile devices, consumers can easily complete a transaction in the comfort of their homes. They can also choose to have their purchase delivered to their doorstep.
When the novel coronavirus broke out, online shopping became the new norm for many as quarantine protocols forced numerous establishments to close or reduce theirin-person operations. Moreover, since some consumers have limited access to grocery stores and other shops, eCommerce has enabled them to purchase essential goods and services without setting foot outside.
However, the rapid growth of eCommerce amid the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted criminals to defraud online shopping services. These bad actors often look for unprepared establishments with inadequate cybersecurity measures.
They can easily get past conventional identity verification methods that rely on personal information, passwords, security questions, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), and others to confirm an individual’s claimed identity. Once they succeed in stealing this information, they can use it to impersonate someone else, create a synthetic identity, or take over a real customer’s existing account.
Online merchants must replace legacy systems with remote identity verification solutions that are more efficient in weeding out the bad guys. Many are already using facial mobile biometric identity proofing technologies supplemented by automated identity document authentication.
By comparing a person’s selfie to the photo on their driver’s license and asking them to complete an anti-spoofing liveness check, eCommerce retailers can be confident that they transact only with legitimate customers. Furthermore, with an automated identity document verification, they can determine if the driver’s license provided by the customer at onboarding is a genuine one.
Additionally, to prevent fraudsters from hacking someone else’s account, eCommerce merchants should enable passwordless login on their platform.
Identity assurance is vital in eCommerce operations. For more information on the matter, see the following infographic from authID.
