Is a website asking me to submit a selfie holding my ID document as verification safe?
Only if the site is a regulated, established service. This type of verification is genuine for financial services but is also exploited by fraudsters to steal your identity.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
Know-your-customer (KYC) identity checks are a legal requirement for banks, regulated investment platforms, and some marketplaces. A selfie with your ID is a legitimate method used by regulated services. However, fraudsters have built convincing fake platforms that collect this same verification to open fraudulent bank accounts, credit applications, or cryptocurrency accounts in your name. Before submitting a selfie with ID to any website, confirm the business is registered and regulated, look for independent reviews of the service, and ensure you are on the genuine website domain — not a lookalike. Be especially cautious if you were directed to the site through a social media ad or a job offer. Once your ID and selfie have been submitted to a fraudster, the resulting identity fraud can be extensive and difficult to resolve.
Context matters as much as the check itself. A regulated bank asking for verification during account opening is normal; a stranger, a new employer you have never met, or a trading platform you found through social media asking for the same documents is not. Fraudsters increasingly build the ID request into fake job onboarding or 'account upgrade' flows because compliance requests feel routine and people comply without questioning them. Before uploading anything, ask yourself who is receiving the images, whether you approached them or they approached you, and whether the service genuinely needs regulated-level identity checks for what it claims to offer.
Common red flags
- Site found through a social media ad or job offer rather than an official source
- No verifiable regulatory registration for the service
- Site asks for ID verification before you have agreed to any specific product
- Domain is new or does not match the company's official website
- Request to send ID images by WhatsApp or email rather than a secure upload portal
What to do now
- Verify the company on a business and financial regulator register before submitting
- Access the site directly by typing the address — not via a link in a message
- Never send ID documents by WhatsApp or unencrypted email
- If in doubt, contact the company by phone first to confirm the request is genuine
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if I sent ID to a site I now suspect was fraudulent?
Place a CIFAS protective registration or equivalent fraud alert with your credit reference agencies immediately, and report the incident to your national fraud service and police.
Can I mark my ID photo before sending it?
Where the service accepts annotated copies, adding a visible note stating the date and purpose across the image makes reuse harder without invalidating a genuine check. It is a sensible precaution for any document you send remotely.