FICA Card for Verification?

[BeadsandBaubles 10]

Hi

 

I was just wondering if BoB would consider the use of FICA www.ficacard.co.za for verification purposes in the future. I went through a lengthy process of having all my details verified, and they are quite thorough. Each submission (ie proof of residence, ID no, etc) has to be signed by a commissioner of oaths, hubby and I had ours done by an attorney (apparently this is the new thing when buying a house through the banks). We received an ID tag (with photo and all).

 

If we for instance now wish to buy say furniture on credit, we just take this card to the store, we contact fica via SMS and using our unique no and pin ask them to email all our verified details through to the store. No more need for documents at all.

 

The ID no, which has been verified by the COO does not need to be re-verified, but every 3 months one emails a copy of the latest utility bill, a pay slip, and a bank statement, thus making sure the details are constantly correct. They do send a reminder in case you forget.

 

Just asking. There are many businesses signing up with them, and it sure makes life easier.

 

Regards

Sandy

[qball 12]

Thank you for the suggestion, we will look into it, but have reservations about the practicality for an internet business.

 

Kind regards

Cuan

[lilythepink 10]

This sounds fantastic. With an internet business it would be even more helpful. Would stop all those fraudsters in their tracks. My 2 cents worth ...! (Has anyone seen the article about Bid or Buy on page 7 of today's Daily Dispatch? 22.09.2009).

[qball 12]

Hi All

 

We have spoken to this company. There are several reasons why it would be impractical at this stage:

 

1. The user will have to pay R150 to register for the card

2. We will not make it compulsory as this will discourage legitimate new users from using the site. We cannot force people to do this if they don't want to.

3. From a technical perspective it would require development from both us and Ficacard, which they are unable to do at the moment.

4. We need the users permission to run the checks, we cannot do this without consent.

5. We do not believe this will be the answer to stopping certain people from using the site.

 

Unfortunately, it does not provide the solution we are looking for.

 

Regarding the newspaper article, we were contacted yesterday by the Daily Dispatch for comment. Basically the buyer bought a high valued item from a user with no ratings. We are not aware of any money laundering syndicates operating on the site, this appears to be an isolated incident, as the seller may be operating on other sites as well.

 

Kind regards

Cuan