Selfie and Face Verification Scams
Scammers ask for selfies holding your ID, short face videos, or face scans to "verify" you, then use them to open accounts or pass checks in your name. How to spot and avoid these requests.
Selfies and short face videos are now a standard part of verifying who you are with banks, payment apps and crypto platforms. Scammers know this. If they can get a selfie of you holding your ID, or a short video turning your head, they may be able to pass those same checks in your name.
How selfie scams happen
- Fake jobs: "Send a selfie holding your ID for our HR onboarding."
- Fake loans and grants: "Record a short video saying your name to release funds."
- Paid "tasks": being paid a small fee to complete face verifications for someone else's accounts. This helps criminals open mule accounts.
- Fake verification links imitating a bank's face check.
- Romance scams: requests for photos with ID "to prove you are real".
Never complete a face or selfie verification for someone else, and never send a selfie holding your ID to anyone outside an official app you opened yourself.
What genuine checks look like
- Happen inside the official app of a bank or platform you chose to join.
- Are triggered by something you are doing, such as opening an account.
- Do not come through links in unexpected messages or chats.
See know your customer requests.
If you sent a selfie or face video
- Stop contact and keep the conversation as evidence.
- Report to the platform and your national fraud service.
- Consider a credit freeze or fraud alert. See credit freezes explained.
- Watch for accounts or loans opened in your name. See account opened in my name.
Asked for a selfie or face video? Paste the request into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check.
For more, read about protecting your identity in our complete guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why would a scammer want a selfie holding my ID?
Many financial and crypto platforms use this to verify customers. With it, a criminal may be able to open accounts or pass checks in your name.
Are face verification checks in official apps safe?
Checks done inside a genuine bank or platform's official app are part of normal verification. The risk is when you do it for a stranger or through a link.
What if I already sent a selfie with my ID?
Report it, consider a credit freeze or fraud alert, alert your bank, and watch for accounts opened in your name.
Sources
- What To Know About Identity Theft, US Federal Trade Commission
- Job Scams, US Federal Trade Commission
- Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts, US Federal Trade Commission
