What is Trust+ ID Verification and Safety Screening?
Our company is committed to fostering a fair and inclusive environment. The purpose of our vetting process is to maintain the safety and integrity of our platform, emphasizing mutual trust and care among members. We do not intend to sideline individuals for minor past discrepancies.
Our aim is for our community members to be able to trust each other. Although no identification process is foolproof and we cannot guarantee someone’s identity, we take steps to help everyone to feel confident that members are who they say they are. This is why we have procedures in place to attempt to verify the identity of our users. Trust+ provides the following benefits for our members:
Promotes trust and connection within the community
Helps us identify and remove bad actors
Limits access to public spaces to members who have activated Trust+
To ensure the authenticity of our users, we cross-verify personal details with external sources or assess official government documents, such as government IDs, passports, or national identity cards. For members based in the US ONLY, we examine select public state and county criminal databases, alongside state and national sex offender registries. Decisions regarding removal are based on the gravity of the criminal record. Minor violations like disorderly behavior or marijuana possession do not warrant exclusion.
How does Trust+ work?
Activating Trust+ is easy. We partner with Persona to verify your identity. Follow the steps to upload an image of your preferred identification and take a real-time selfie with your phone.
For US-based members only, we take an extra step to review available public records (US Records only).
Once verified, we use your exact name and date of birth to perform a background check with our approved provider, Tessera Data. We check certain databases of public state and county criminal records as well as state and national sex offender registries.
After Trust+ has been activated for your profile, you will receive a badge that is visible to members in your trusted network letting them know that you have completed the Trust+ process. Members in your network will be able to view your full legal name that was submitted for verification in order to help ensure they know and trust the person who they are interacting with for care events.
How secure is Trust+?
Background checks aren’t the only factor to consider when deciding whether to trust another member because they do have a number of limitations. While they may help identify past criminal conduct or other red flags where records are available, there are many reasons they may not identify or flag a potential issue as outlined below:Â
Completeness
The databases that TesseraData relies on are not necessarily complete and may not include records of prior criminal conduct.
Online databases might only be updated periodically by local governments
There may be gaps in public record searches due to the way certain databases are maintained
As determined by applicable law, public records databases may be limited to records of conduct that took place a certain number of years prior to the date of the check, ex: The prior 7 years in certain US states.
Unknown household members - We also don’t conduct background checks on other people who may be living or visiting a member’s house during a care event, so it’s up to the parents to communicate with each other and make sure that the kids are safe and know who is around during the care date.
Frequency
We may only conduct a background check once per user, which means their most recent check may have been a while before you connect with them. You can alway see the date that Trust+ was activated by tapping the badge on their profile to see when the screening was completed.
Accuracy of user information
These checks only work when people give us their full, correct legal names and dates of birth. Even if they provided all required information, we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or that it even really belongs to them.
Criminal deceit
People may find ways to circumvent even the most sophisticated database or search technology.
As a result, these database checks may not reveal comprehensive or recent criminal record activity. Continue to use your own judgment as a parent or caregiver.
What are some extra precautions I can take to verify members outside of Trust+?
Do your own research
Consider doing a web search and checking public government databases, such as US federal or state sex offender registries, for the name(s) of anyone you’re interacting with offline.
Do a Paid Background Check -Â for a more complete result that you can share with your group. This may include checks with other agencies including DCPS.
Do a Google search: Search the person in question's name and information they provide you on Google. Look for pieces of information (i.e. city of residence, location of work, profession, school) from conversations and messaging you have had with the person that you can use to search to build a more complete picture.
Do a reverse image search: A reverse image search will reveal other places online where photos have appeared. Take the person's profile picture or another such photo and do a Google reverse image search and see what results you get back. You will more than likely get additional results and information that may have not have appeared from the name search alone.Â
Pay attention to social media accounts: If someone has social media accounts connected to their profile and/or the Google and image search turns up social media accounts, look closely at those accounts, paying attention to what they say in their profile and messages. People put a lot of details about who they are and their view of the world online. Look for shared interests and shared friends.Â
In addition, look to see if the activity and posts seem consistent in behavior and messaging or do you see inconsistencies? Does their story seem too good to be true? Inconsistencies and profiles that seem too good to be true or real are signs someone may not be genuine.Â
Request a Video Chat: One way to confirm someone's identity is to ask them to do a video chat. You can also also ask for someone to show you documentation like a driver's license over video. This allows you to see the person in real-time. It could be a red flag if someone refuses or hesitates to do a video chat.
Follow your gut. Our most important #1 safety tip no matter the situation is to follow your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your intuition. Don’t brush off or talk yourself out of how you feel. Always prioritize your safety and trust your instinct.Â
What do I do if there is an emergency situation during a care event?
If there’s an emergency in progress, please contact local emergency services or law enforcement authorities for assistance.
Here are some additional resources where you can find help and support:
National Sexual Assault Hotline
800.656.HOPE (4673)
800-799-7233 or Text START to 88788
The Trevor Project (offering 24/7 crisis support services to LGBTQ+ youth)
NO MORE Global Directory (a collection of US and international sexual and domestic violence resources)
1in6 (an organization offering support and resources for men who have been sexually assaulted or abused)
Cybercrime Support Network (offering resources for those impacted by romance and confidence scams)
Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741 about any type of crisis