Age verification confirms a consumer's age at purchase — mainly for regulatory compliance in adult content, alcohol, and gaming. Before choosing a vendor, it's worth knowing whether they rely on credit-report data (which needs an SSN or National Insurance number), whether they offer a legal-fee guarantee, and whether you can verify a returning consumer just once rather than every visit.
How it works
Services typically need name, address, and phone number; some also ask for an SSN or national ID number. The response comes back either as an actual age or date of birth, or as a category:
- Over 21
- Over 18
- Under 18
- Unable to verify
- Unavailable
Some providers back their results with a financial guarantee covering fines and legal fees, provided the service was used correctly.
Alternatives worth knowing
Driver's license or passport verification, or a simple web-based age-certification checkbox with a recorded acceptance. In-house, you can request a government ID copy at account setup (faxed or emailed once per consumer) or build a click-through age-certification page that logs the acceptance record.