Identity verification: the first line of defense

Identity verification (IDV) is the process of confirming that a candidate is really who they claim to be before moving forward in the hiring process. In Checkr’s workflow, this means validating a government-issued ID, completing a liveness-based selfie check, and using device fingerprinting in the background to verify location consistency and detect potential spoofing attempts. This helps employers verify that the person submitting information is a real person and matches the ID provided. Think of IDV as an early fraud-prevention step that happens before the background check begins.

Identity verification and background checks solve different problems. Identity verification helps determine whether the applicant is really who they say they are by checking government-issued ID, biometric selfie data, liveness, and related fraud signals. A background check, by contrast, helps employers understand the history and qualifications associated with the applicant by reviewing their records, such as criminal history, employment, and education.

The purpose of identity verification is to establish trust at the start of the hiring process by confirming the individual’s identity first. IDV and background complement one another: IDV verifies the individual, while a background check helps evaluate their history and qualifications.

Background checks rely heavily on candidates’ identifying information. If the identity entering the funnel is fake, stolen, or misrepresented, employers can waste time and money screening the wrong person. IDV is the first line of defense because it helps ensure employers only begin the onboarding process for real, verified candidates.

Checkr’s identity verification adds a quick document and liveness check before the background check starts. Candidates complete the process on a mobile device by submitting an ID and a live selfie, and the verification runs inside the Checkr application rather than sending the candidate to a separate platform. This embedded flow reduces confusion, avoids redirects and extra logins, and helps improve completion rates.

Behind the scenes, Checkr’s IDV uses multiple fraud-detection signals, including liveness detection, forensic document analysis, and device or network intelligence. These checks are designed to catch issues such as deepfakes, tampered IDs, impersonation attempts, risky network behavior, and location mismatches early in the hiring funnel.

For most hiring programs, the best place to run identity verification is before conducting the background check, so only verified candidates move forward. This can help reduce wasted screening spend, prevent additional onboarding work, and stop fraud earlier in the process.

IDV can be used flexibly depending on the employer’s risk profile and workflow. For example, organizations hiring remote workers, contractors, or candidates for sensitive roles may want identity verification earlier in the funnel or as a standalone step at key points in the candidate journey. In general, employers should use IDV depending on hiring volume, role risk, and operational needs.

Identity verification doesn’t have to slow down hiring, especially when it’s built into the same candidate experience. With Checkr, candidates can complete verification in roughly two minutes through a mobile-friendly flow, without needing separate accounts, third-party apps, or additional redirects. Embedding IDV directly into the application flow can lead to higher completion rates, less candidate confusion, and faster time to hire.

Checkr automatically allows candidates up to three resubmission attempts, providing real-time guidance for low-risk issues like blurry images or poor lighting which could otherwise delay the process. The goal is to catch meaningful fraud signals without turning normal submission problems into unnecessary delays.

IDV can flag deepfakes, stolen IDs, impersonators, screenshots submitted as selfies, biometric mismatches, invalid IDs, location-based fraud, and mismatched names. To detect those risks, Checkr combines liveness checks, selfie-to-ID comparison, document forensics, and device or network intelligence.

Failed or incomplete verifications prevent a background check from starting, which helps employers avoid paying to screen candidates who cannot verify their identity. For teams hiring remotely or at scale, this makes IDV a practical way to reduce fraud exposure before it spreads further into the process.