A verification moves through a number of statuses during its lifetime.
You can see what status a verification is in from the dashboard, and the results page.
A verification always begins in the "In progress" state, and will usually progress straight to "Verified" without you having to do anything.
Each status explained
On the verification overview, you will see the wheel changes state. These are the different states you will see and what they mean.
In progress |   
| The user is currently providing their evidence.
As the user completes the different steps in the verification flow, the meter will fill up. |
Processing | 
| User has submitted all of their evidence, the results are now processing. |
Verified | 
| All evidence has been validated and any background checks have passed. |
Needs review | 
| Some checks came back with results that may indicate fraud. You may wish to reject the user or verify them by alternative means. See below for more information. |
Locked out | 
| The user exceeded the allowed attempts for a video selfie or photo ID scan, so the verification has been locked out to prevent fraud. See below for more information. |
Cancelled | 
| This verification has been cancelled from the dashboard, or has been restarted. |
Expired | 
| The verification has timed out, and the user will no longer get email reminders. |
A verification has been sent to me for review
Most verifications in Vouchsafe are completed automatically, but sometimes one will need your review.
A verification is sent for review when one or more automatic checks fail - this doesn't always imply failure or attempted fraud, as most verifications need review for something the user can't control.
For example:
a poor online footprint analysis result
the user has provided a document that may not be acceptable to you (e.g. a payslip instead of a bank statement)
What should I look for?
On the right-hand side of the verification, you’ll see a list of checks. Failed checks are marked in amber (medium) or red (high).
Review these to understand what triggered the review.
What are my options?
If you are happy to accept the user as-is based on your organisation's policy, you can do so.
You can hit Restart verification and give the user another attempt. They will get a fresh email.
You may wish to take the user through a different verification flow that asks for more things, as a form of enhanced due diligence
Finally, if you strongly suspect fraud, you can do nothing.
If you find you care getting a lot of verifications that need review, you may wish to adjust the sensitivity of your background checks.
Do I need to record my decision in Vouchsafe?
Vouchsafe includes an Acknowledge function for you record these decisions if you wish. This will:
record your email address and the time of acknowledgement
move the verification into a neutral "Reviewed" state
What is the user told?
Vouchsafe sends one neutral email to the user letting them know their verification is being reviewed. It will not tell them the reason.
A verification has been locked out
A verification is locked out when a user exceeds the 5 allowed number of attempts for a video selfie or photo ID scan. This limit exists to prevent fraud.
Why has this happened?
Common reasons a lock-out may occur include:
the face on the ID and video selfie returning a low match score, potentially indicating a different person
unclear or cropped images that the system is partially or fully unable to process
evidence from a country or document type not on your accepted list
a document that appears to have been altered
What are my options?
You have two options, both available at the top of the results page:
Cancel - disables the user's verification link and stops any further reminder emails.
Restart - unlocks the verification and automatically sends the user a new link so they can try again with different evidence.
What is the user told?
The user is informed during their journey that they could not be verified as there is a limit on how many times they can try, and is instructed to contact your team to discuss other options. Vouchsafe also sends one neutral email to the user letting them know their verification is being reviewed. It will not tell them the reason.
💡 How you proceed is at your discretion. If you're unsure whether to cancel or restart, consider whether the user is likely to have valid alternative evidence to provide.