Social Engineering & Coercion: Why You Must Complete Your Verification Alone
Not all identity fraud involves fake documents or deepfakes. A growing risk is social engineering — when someone manipulates or pressures you into completing a verification for them.
During verification, you should always be alone, unpressured, and acting on your own behalf.
What is social engineering?
Social engineering is when a criminal manipulates someone into handing over information or performing actions that compromise their identity.
Examples include:
- Someone claiming to be from your bank or law firm
- Someone instructing you on what to do during verification
- Fake “technical support” or “security” callers
- Messages telling you to “verify your identity urgently”
These criminals often sound convincing and may use stolen information to appear legitimate.
What is coercion?
Coercion occurs when someone pressures or forces you to complete a verification for them.
Coercion may involve:
- Being told what to say or do during the verification
- Someone watching you while you take a selfie
- Someone asking you to use their device
- Someone insisting you verify an account “for them”
- Threats or intimidation
Even if you use your own real ID, this is still identity fraud.
How INMYNAMEKYC protects you
We use behavioural and biometric signals to detect potential coercion, including:
- Unusual movement patterns
- Inconsistent behaviour during liveness checks
- Metadata that suggests outside influence
If anything looks suspicious, our system may block verification and notify your law firm.
If someone is pressuring you — stop immediately
Your safety comes first.
If someone is:
- Watching you
- Instructing you
- Forcing you to proceed
- Rushing or threatening you
Stop immediately and close the app.
Contact your legal representative using the details in your onboarding email.
How to stay safe during verification
- Complete your checks in a private space
- Never let anyone else handle your ID document
- Never share verification links or codes
- Only use the official INMYNAMEKYC app
- If unsure, contact your solicitor directly