smrtPhone takes a firm stance against scammers and spammers, and we pride ourselves on our compliance tools that keep your account - and the entire smrtPhone ecosystem - safe. We also prioritize your privacy and the privacy of your data.
In the U.S., the FCC has been working harder to deter, stop, find, and fine bad actors who violate the TCPA, TRACED Act, and other telecom industry regulations. As technology evolves, so do the laws that support the FCC's mission.
In 2021, the FCC enacted a mandate for all telecom companies to "Know Your Customer." The standards for what it means for a company like smrtPhone to "know" our customers have evolved. To meet these standards, ensure the safety of our clients' accounts and business operations, and ensure the safety of the entire smrtPhone platform, we have adopted an identify verification requirement for all Account Owners.
If you have questions about this process or how it impacts your specific business, please contact compliance @ smrtphone.io, and we will respond within 5 business days.
At the bottom of this article, you can find a PDF document representing smrtPhone's Identity Verification Compliance Notice.
You cannot purchase phone numbers if your identity is not verified!
Identity Verification FAQ
⌚ When do I have to verify my identity?
All Account Owners must verify their identities using a government-issued ID before they are able to make any outbound communications including voice calls or sending text messages.
🪪 Why do I have to verify my identity and not my business?
You must verify both to unlock smrtPhone's calling and texting capability.
Verifying your identity as the business representative is required to unlock outbound communications, and is part of smrtPhone's requirement to "know your customer" (KYC). It takes just minutes to be verified.
Verifying your business profile (done in the Trust Center) is an additional step to ensure compliance with STIR/SHAKEN, the answer to anti-spoofing regulations from the TRACED Act. This process can take 7 business days or longer.
Identity verification comes prior to business verification with a different process. We want you to be able to use your smrtPhone account as soon as possible. Due to the verification timeline differences, we have you verify your identity first, so you can unlock features while you wait for your business verification to be approved.
🧑💻 How does smrtPhone verify my identity?
Your privacy and the safety of your data are of utmost importance to us. This is why we have partnered with Stripe, a global payments and identity verification leader. They recognize government identification from over 100 countries. With Stripe's ID verification technology, you can be approved in mere minutes.
You will need your government-issued ID and a mobile phone (or your computer, if it has a camera) to complete the process.
See more information about Stipe Identity Verification on Stripe's website ⇢
👥 I have multiple smrtPhone accounts, do I have to verify my identity for each one?
Yes, each account must go through a separate ID verification process, even if the Account Owner is the same person.
🌍 If I am not based in the US, do I still have to verify my identity?
Yes. Identity verification is required for all smrtPhone Account Owners, whether you operate in or outside of the U.S.
🪪 Does smrtPhone retain my ID information?
Absolutely not.
We don't even see the ID information. We simply receive the results from Stripe whether it is approved or not. We never store your personal details (identification, credit card information, or otherwise) in our servers or databases. If needed for legal or operational reasons, smrtPhone can access the identification information by requesting it from Stripe.
Please do not send us copies of your IDs. Only use the Stripe verification portal available to you upon signing up for a smrtPhone account.
⌛ How long does it take to verify my identity?
Through the Stripe portal, it takes just a few minutes to submit your information and verification approval can happen in just seconds.
🪪 What forms of ID can I use?
You can use government-issued IDs such as a driver's license, a passport, or ID cards. The identification must be active (not expired.)
🚫 What can I do if I do not want to verify my personal identity?
Please reach out to compliance @ smrtphone.io if you do not want to use Stripe's secure ID verification process. We will respond within 5 business days. There is a manual verification process that we can put you through. You will not be able to use the smrtPhone platform for outbound calls until identity verification is resolved.
🪪 Why do I need to give my ID if other telecom companies don't ask for it?
smrtPhone chooses to be on the leading edge of compliance for the safety of your account and all of our client accounts. While other providers may not require ID verification at this time, it is considered the gold standard for compliance with FCC KYC mandates. We believe the entire industry will be shifting this way, and we want to do everything we can to protect every smrtPhone customer.
Although it sounds more rigid on the surface, it actually gives us the most freedom to offer smrtPhone services to all types of companies - from sole proprietorships to start-ups to large-scale businesses.
Identity verification is coming to all tech platforms - indeed, you'll see it on LinkedIn, Uber, and many other common platforms. It is safe, fast, and effective.
👥 What do I do if the company owner is different from the smrtPhone Account Owner?
The purpose of KYC is to have a known contact at a company. If you are the authorized representative to open a telecom account on behalf of your company, that is all we need. It does not have to be the business owner.
🔒 How does verifying my identity impact my Business verification and A2P 10DLC?
Identity verification is the step before registering your business profile and A2P profile. You must then complete those two additional registrations to be fully compliant for voice and texting through smrtPhone.
There are three types of compliance registration:
Identity verification (to answer FCC mandate for Know Your Customer)
Business verification (to answer FCC mandate for STIR/SHAKEN implementation)
A2P 10DLC registration (to answer the US Mobile Carrier's requirements for delivering text messages to consumer inboxes)
Identity Verification versus Business Verification
Identity Verification | Business Verification |
Identity verification is the process of establishing that an identity is authentic. It is about showing that a person is real, they are who they claim to be, and that the acts they take are genuine. | Business verification is the process of ensuring the validity and accuracy of a company's information, ensuring that your business is a legal entity. |
✅ Where can I find more information about identity verification for smrtPhone?
You can check out our blog post addressing this topic: New Security Measures at smrtPhone ⇢
You can also watch this compliance primer video that covers all of the compliance tools inside of smrtPhone.
If you have any further questions, you can email us at compliance @ smrtphone.io, and we will respond within 5 working days.
