In modern marketplace applications, verifying user identity is a critical step in preventing fraud. One effective strategy is to implement step-up authentication, where sensitive actions—such as modifying payout details—trigger a verification check. Integrating a synchronous identifier check allows you to gather data on account presence before finalizing a high-risk transaction.
This tutorial walks through integrating a synchronous verification check into your risk review workflow.
1. Understanding the Integration Boundary
The goal is to verify if a provided phone number is associated with an active account. In our architecture, this is treated as a supporting signal. It is not a universal proof of identity, but rather a data point that informs your internal risk-scoring engine.
2. Handling the Request Flow
When a user initiates a sensitive action, your application should pause the workflow to perform the verification. Using the POST /v1/check endpoint, you submit the identifier to the service.
Implementation Pattern
// Conceptual request structure
{
"service_type": "ws_business",
"identifier": "+1234567890"
}
3. Managing Error States and Retries
Robust error handling is essential for maintaining a stable risk pipeline. Your integration should account for the following scenarios:
-
400 Bad Request: Ensure the
identifieris correctly formatted in E.164 and theservice_typeis correctly defined asws_business. -
401 Unauthorized: Verify that your
X-API-Keyheader is correctly injected into the request. - 500 Server Error: If the service returns a server error, implement a non-aggressive retry strategy. Avoid immediate, rapid-fire retries; instead, use an exponential backoff approach to allow the downstream service time to recover.
Handling Unsuccessful Responses
When the API returns "success": false, do not treat this as a definitive block on the user. Instead, log the error and route the request to a manual review queue or trigger a secondary verification method (such as an SMS OTP) to ensure a smooth user experience.
4. Normalizing the Signal
Once the check is completed, interpret the response fields to update your internal state. The data.registered and data.business booleans provide the core signal. Use these flags to adjust the risk score associated with the user profile.
Conclusion
By integrating synchronous identifier checks into your risk workflow, you add a layer of visibility into user account activity. Remember that these signals are most effective when combined with other risk indicators, serving as a component of a larger, multi-faceted fraud prevention strategy.
This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publishing.
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