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Identity verification failures

  • Updated
 

Common Identity Verification Failures

Reasons a legitimate user fails identity verification include:

  1. User decides to stop - Some users willingly stop the process (e.g., they return later), or decides to not submit their identity document. 
  2. Name Changes and Record Update Delays - A user may fail identity verification if they recently changed their name, address, or phone number. Login.gov verifies these attributes against systems that take anywhere from a day to several months to update. Records are updated when a user directly advises their banks (accounts and credit cards), government agencies, and commercial service providers of the change. This may also include court records, motor vehicle registrations, county tax records, insurance, utilities accounts, and mobile phone accounts. Once a sufficient number of data sources reflect the change, Login.gov’s identity proofing process can match the user’s information. Login.gov cannot override vendor verification results since verification is performed by third-party vendors and government partners who rely on public and authoritative records.
  3. Fraud signals detected: The user’s information was verified, but the system received fraud indicators. In this case, the user receives a specific error code and a phone number to call. If a user calls this number, they will be asked a series of questions that will determine whether an investigation will be conducted by the Login.gov Fraud team. Until the investigation is resolved, the user will see a screen prompting them to call Login.gov each time they sign in. If the investigation is favorably resolved, they will be able to sign in with their verified identity.
  4. Wrong ID at the Post Office: The user must present the same ID entered during the online portion of the identity verification flow. The Post Office clerk will look to match the physical ID with the information submitted and validated during the online portion of the process.
  5. User lacks necessary evidence - Some users may not possess the evidence required for NIST 800-63 compliance

Investigating a Specific User’s Failure

If a partner believes a specific user should have passed verification, and the user has tried all recommended steps:

  1. Direct the user to Login.gov’s 24/7 Contact Center, where an agent can guide the user through the process.
  2. If the Contact Center cannot resolve the issue, reach out to your Partner Success Manager with the user’s details (email address and Contact Center case number) for additional investigation.

Fallback and Alternative Verification

No identity verification solution can verify 100% of users. Login.gov strongly encourages partners to maintain an alternative channel for users who cannot verify through Login.gov, as required by OMB M-23-22. Login.gov’s Alternative IdV Playbook provides implementation examples from other agencies (available from your Partner Success Manager).

If a user is unable to complete verification, they can choose to exit the process, which redirects them to the partner’s “Failure to Proof URL” (required for all identity verification integrations). The Login.gov contact center refers users who cannot verify back to the partner agency for alternative verification paths.

If Source Data Is at Fault

For users who believe their authoritative records are incorrect, Login.gov points them back to the partner agency via the Failure to Proof URL. The partner then determines next steps for their end users.

Proofing Rates

Reporting on and comparing identity proofing success rates is challenging due to the nuances involved. Different steps have different success rates depending on a user’s locality, verification evidence, and device preferences. Additionally, there are legitimate reasons for the rate not being 100% (e.g., people who stop willingly, threat actors who are correctly stopped).

Many aspects of our services such as in person proofing and our 24x7 user support are designed to improve proofing rates. Login is constantly investing in ways to improve proofing rates while effectively combatting fraud. See our public roadmap for more details.