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What Is Phone Number Verification? Why It Matters for Security and Business

by | May 7, 2024

In today’s online world where security risks are increasing exponentially, phone number verification is a crucial shield for businesses. It ensures both security and smooth business operations. For example, businesses can validate phone numbers to confirm a user’s identity before granting access. Thus, phone number verification can be a powerful tool to combat fraudulent activities like identity theft, account takeover, and spamming.

In this blog, we’ll unravel how phone number verification works. We’ll also discuss how this process keeps your personal information safe from cyber threats and why businesses rely on it to build customer trust. Plus, we’ll explore the features of a reliable phone number validation tool called numverify.

What Is Phone Number Verification?

an illustration of phone number verification

Phone number verification is a way to confirm if a phone number is real and belongs to a specific person. It’s like a digital ID check for your phone. This helps keep online accounts safe and prevents fake profiles. For instance, when you sign up for an app or website, they often send you a code through text or call to confirm your identity. 

How to Verify a Phone Number?

Businesses and individuals worldwide use phone verification tools to verify and validate phone numbers. You just need to provide the phone number you wish to verify. The tool then shows whether the number is genuine and belongs to someone.

If you’re looking to integrate phone number verification functionality into your workflow, it’s best to use a phone verification API, such as numverify. 

These APIs leverage sophisticated phone validation systems. For instance, they cross-match data with telecom databases containing millions of up-to-date phone numbers. Moreover, a phone verification tool validates the phone number based on various factors, such as:

  • Checks whether the number has the correct number of digits
  • Assesses if the phone number has a valid country code. The tool also confirms if the country code corresponds to the country indicated by the rest of the phone number.
  • Checks if the phone number has the correct structure and adheres to specific formatting rules

Moreover, advanced APIs like numverify also support carrier and line-type detection, which is also helpful for security purposes. Some APIs also provide location information associated with the phone number. 

How to Use a Phone Number Verification API to Assess Risk?

an illustration of how phone number verification can help prevent fraud

Phone number verification is a smart way to evaluate potential risks in online activities. It’s like having a virtual secret code that helps ensure safety. Businesses can leverage a phone validator tool/API to confirm user identity, prevent account takeover, avoid vendor scams, identify fake orders, prevent fake returns, and more. 

Here’s how it helps assess risk and fight fraud:

  • E-commerce businesses can confirm if a customer has provided a valid phone number to identify fake orders and prevent scams. 
  • Businesses can also retrieve location data associated with a phone number using an API like numverify. This information is valuable for assessing risk. It allows businesses to identify potentially suspicious activities originating from high-risk regions.
  • Businesses can also confirm if the location data provided by the API matches the location information provided by the customer while registering an account or placing an order. This will help prevent fake orders and scams.
  • An API like numverify can identify numbers with irregular country codes or those associated with known fraudulent activities. Thus, businesses can block access for such users to prevent fraud.
  • Phone number verification APIs like numverify can complement two-factor authentication or 2FA, which adds an extra layer of security to the login process. For instance, before enabling 2FA for a user, the platform can use numverify to verify the user’s phone number. 

What are the Other Benefits of Phone Number Verification for Businesses?

In addition to security, here are other ways how phone number verification can benefit businesses:

  • Businesses can leverage phone validation to maintain a clean database with authentic phone numbers. In other words, they can remove invalid phone numbers from their databases. This way, businesses can ensure they’re not wasting their time and effort on fake customers. 
  • Phone verification helps businesses with effective marketing campaigns and enhanced lead generation. 
  • Having accurate contact information ensures that businesses can efficiently communicate with customers when needed.

How does Two-Factor Authentication Help With Phone Number Verification?

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a popular technique that requires users to provide a password and a code sent to their phone before they’re granted access. This adds an extra layer of security.

It’s important not to confuse the phone number verification provided by APIs like numverify with the phone number verification involved in two-factor authentication (2FA).  Numverify primarily focuses on validating the ownership and validity of a phone number.

On the other hand, phone number verification in 2FA is a security measure that confirms the ownership of a phone number as part of the authentication process. Verifying the phone number ensures that the user attempting to log in is actually the owner of the phone number associated with their account.

To implement 2FA, you can utilize tools like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo Security. However, as we discussed in the previous section, an API like numverify can complement 2FA. For example, platforms can use numverify to verify the user’s phone number before enabling 2FA for a user. 

Numverify: A Leading Phone Number Verification Solution

Homepage of Numverify, a reliable API to validte personal and business numbers

Numverify offers a user-friendly RESTful JSON API for national and international phone number validation. A notable advantage of Numverify is its extensive coverage – It supports 232 countries globally.

Here are the key features of the numverify API:

  • Numverify leverages advanced methodologies for verification, including line type identification and the most up-to-date international numbering plans and carrier detection.
  • The API relies on trustworthy data sources that provide highly accurate data.
  • It supports both local and international phone numbers.
  • Numverify employs robust 256-bit HTTPS encryption to enhance security.
  • The API has detailed documentation that provides code examples in various programming languages. 
  • Numverify offers a free plan that allows verification of up to 1,000 numbers each month. The API also offers premium subscription plans with more API calls and advanced features.

Conclusion

Phone number verification is crucial for keeping our online world safe and helping businesses thrive. It helps confirm user identity, prevent fraud, and block fake accounts. It also ensures only the right people access sensitive accounts and data. However, it’s essential to choose a reliable number verification tool. One such tool is numverify.

Numverify is a trusted solution known for its high accuracy, efficiency, and advanced phone number validation mechanisms. 

Secure your digital interactions today with Numverify’s trusted phone number verification. Try it now for a safer online experience!

FAQs

How can I verify a phone number?

You can use a number verification tool/API like numverify to verify a phone number.

How to check phone number owner?

There are various online services and apps designed for reverse phone lookup. These services allow you to enter a phone number and retrieve information about the owner, which also includes the owner’s name.

How do I verify a phone number line?

You can use a tool like numverify to verify if a phone number is genuine. Numverify also provides carrier details, which can help verify a phone number line.

How does phone number validation work?

Phone number validation typically involves checking whether a given phone number is correctly formatted, active, and associated with the correct country or region.

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