Before You Send an ID Photo or Selfie
Learn how to assess requests for identity documents and selfies, verify who is collecting them, and reduce unnecessary exposure during online identity checks.
Identity checks can be legitimate or deceptive
Banks, employers, and other organizations may have valid reasons to verify identity. Criminals can imitate the same process to collect document photos and selfies. The request alone does not establish legitimacy. Consider whether you initiated the interaction, why the information is needed, and whether the organization offers a clearly documented identity verification process.
Verify the recipient and the process
Open the organization's official app or reach its website independently. Confirm that the request appears there, or contact support using published details. Ask who processes the information, how long it is kept, and whether a less intrusive option is available. An unexpected chat message is not a sufficient reason to send sensitive images.
Share only what the process requires
Avoid adding unrelated documents or personal details. Ask whether unnecessary fields can be covered, but do not alter required information without approval because verification may fail. If a watermark is allowed, make sure it does not obstruct required details. No watermark can guarantee that a document image will not be copied or misused later.
Consider where copies remain afterward
Document photos may remain in your camera roll, messaging history, backups, or cloud storage after submission. Review those copies and the accounts that can access them. Boveda51 is an app that keeps documents encrypted on the iPhone. It does not control how a recipient stores a copy you send or what happens after disclosure.