Identity Theft - Scams in Private Messages

Members should report these PMs the moment they get them.

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity.

An Expat would be able to produce a valid VISA, TRC, or VEC photo...

Native PHP allows you to read the uploaded image via Exif library: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function. … d-data.php

Which if an image is ever even opened, much less modified, using an image editing software automatically strips the meta-tags out of the image ..... thereby any uploaded image that is missing the meta-tags can automatically be rejected making the verification a bit more automated.

Depending on how accurate you want the verification checks to be, you can also use the color schema range checks to get at least 82% accuracy for forged documents on MOST passports / drivers licenses, albiet it would take some time to build your library of listed passports color schema and hologram mappings. ( i never did find an open source library and was forced to build my own )

The point is ... there are ways to automatically "verify" members. ( Food for thought )

jefJones wrote:

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity.

An Expat would be able to produce a valid VISA, TRC, or VEC photo...

I would not be on any forum that requires ID verification.  I doubt any website would last long having that requirement.

The truth is that if you have ever made an online purchase using your ATM or Credit card, then anyone can obtain your identity ....

There IS the option for expat.com to use something like STRIPE that in sandbox mode can be used to take a credit card  or ATM number WITHOUT a security code and verify identity .... however that would ONLY verify name, mailing address & phone number .... if would not verify if a person was an actual "Expat".

Like it or not though, your information is already available and can never be deleted. It is just a matter of asking the right question at the right place.

Ciambella wrote:

jefJones wrote:

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity.

An Expat would be able to produce a valid VISA, TRC, or VEC photo...

I would not be on any forum that requires ID verification.  I doubt any website would last long having that requirement.

It could be optional, not mandatory. Many websites have optional identification verification, then you can see "Verified" along the user's profile so you can make a better choice to trust them or not.

I personally don't trust anyone by default, and would never do anything "risky" with a stranger online, so the verified feature would be useless to me.

Ciambella wrote:

jefJones wrote:

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity.

An Expat would be able to produce a valid VISA, TRC, or VEC photo...

I would not be on any forum that requires ID verification.  I doubt any website would last long having that requirement.

Those forum subscribers who have (absolutely) nothing to hide,...would have no objection to the presence of a subscriber ID verification algorithm,...especially on a social-media website platform. That would be a unique method of separating "the chaff, from the wheat",...so to speak,...eh?

jana611 wrote:

Ciambella wrote:

jefJones wrote:

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity.

An Expat would be able to produce a valid VISA, TRC, or VEC photo...

I would not be on any forum that requires ID verification.  I doubt any website would last long having that requirement.

Those forum subscribers who have (absolutely) nothing to hide,...would have no objection to the presence of a subscriber ID verification algorithm,...especially on a social-media website platform. That would be a unique method of separating "the chaff, from the wheat",...so to speak,...eh?

So you aren't a Libertarian?

Or a tireless raconteur?

chenwen wrote:

Or a tireless raconteur?

😂😂😂

jefJones wrote:

Fred ... why have you guys not mandated Identity verification? Or at least allow some type of "Verified Tag" for members that are willing to verify their identity. ( Food for thought )

I wouldn't join a forum with that requirement, and I'm pretty sure most would agree with me. The admin here do know who I am, but that's as far as it goes.

A successful forum needs to be easy to access. I agree that these requirements would kill such generic discussion forums.

More specialized forums sometimes requires much more work to join but sometimes there's no other choice if we want to get information on specific stuff. For example, there's a support forum for the company that did my electric bike at home, but buyers will go though the hassle if they want technical help.