Why You Reason SMS Verification Online

SMS verification is a form of two-factor authentication that involves a buyer receiving a code on their phone and entering it into your app or website. This allows you to authenticate a buyer’s identity and recover orders that would otherwise be rejected by fraud scoring technology.

However, relying too heavily on phone number verification service can deter buyers and increase your costs. Using an online tool like Textr helps protect your main number while still providing 2FA.

1. Authentication

The best fraud prevention methods are based on multiple authentication factors. SMS verification is a good addition, but it’s not strong enough on its own. For one thing, bad actors can intercept SMS and text message messages using SIM swapping, SS7 hacking, cell phone tower spoofing, and more.

It’s also not as secure as time-based two-factor authentication (2FA) options. But it’s easy to use, familiar for most customers, and can be a good option for merchants that don’t want to deter buyers by adding too much friction in their purchase flow.

Users get a text with a unique code, enter it into a website or app, and sign on. In theory, this double-check prevents fraudsters who have a customer’s username and password but not their phone from gaining unauthorized access to the account.

2. Security

You may have seen this type of authentication process in action before: after submitting an online form or logging in to a website, a user receives a text message with a verification code that they must enter to access their account. This is a good example of an ownership-based factor, as it requires a user to have physical possession of their mobile phone in order to use it to verify their identity.

Unlike other types of second-factor authentication, SMS verification codes are readable regardless of whether a device is online or offline. This feature gives users a high degree of confidence that their accounts are secure even when they are not using their primary devices. This type of security can deter many common fraud tactics, including account takeover and basic bot attacks.

3. Convenience

While SMS verification isn’t foolproof, it can deter some common fraud tactics. It also helps prevent fraudsters who have stolen a customer’s phone number from logging in to their account and making fraudulent purchases.

SMS verification can also be used in conjunction with other fraud prevention methods to increase their effectiveness. For example, it can help authenticate transactions that would otherwise be rejected by fraud scoring tools.

Use Textr’s Receive SMS Online tool to complete SMS verification for apps, websites and services without giving out your real phone number. Our virtual numbers are based around the world, so you can choose the country that works best for you and have your verification codes sent to it instead of your personal phone. It’s simple, convenient and secure.

4. Efficiency

Known also as SMS authentication or SMS two-factor authentication (2FA), SMS verification is a fast, low-friction way for buyers to provide additional validation during the purchase process. It also helps deter some common fraud tactics like account takeover and basic bot attacks.

Although SMS 2FA isn’t a foolproof tool for fraud prevention, it can help authenticate many orders that might otherwise be flagged for manual review. It works best in the context of a wider, risk-scoring anti-fraud strategy that includes basic countermeasures like strong password requirements, velocity checks, blacklists and AVS/CVV verification.

Receive your SMS text verification codes online with Textr instead of using your personal phone number. This keeps your number private and saves you time! It’s easy to set up and uses virtual numbers that don’t interfere with your phone plan.

5. Cost

While SMS verification is a popular method of authentication, it does have its downsides. One of the biggest is that it introduces some friction to the checkout process, which can lead to customers getting annoyed and abandoning their carts.

In addition, it’s easy for hackers to intercept SMS messages by swapping SIM cards. Furthermore, SMS verification is dependent on mobile networks, which can be prone to outages and other problems.

Luckily, you can mitigate these risks by using a temporary number to verify your online accounts. Whether you need a US number to register with PayPal or an anonymous number to use on Instagram, Textr offers a variety of countries and numbers for instant SMS verification online. Just select the country and number you require, and we’ll deliver an altermated message with the code to your device in seconds.