“Mum, I’m in trouble. Send money now. I’ll explain later.”
At that moment, a person is not thinking about the security of digital systems. They are thinking about their child. An older person fears leaving a loved one without help. A child may feel overwhelmed by a message from someone claiming to be an adult with authority over them.
Deception begins with a feeling: fear, care, trust. The demand to act immediately takes away the time we need to check who is really contacting us.
We can warn people again and again. But knowing about scams and calmly recognising one in a moment of fear are different things. We need a clear way to pause before transferring money, handing over a document or taking another important action.
The right to ask for confirmation
In HUMAS System, the Confirmation feature is available to personal participants on the Platform and in the mobile application. A participant can send an identity confirmation request using a HUID. The recipient sees who is asking and why, then approves or rejects the request.
You need to check the result yourself in HUMAS System. A screenshot sent by the other person does not replace that check. It is also important to compare the response with the specific request you received.
A confirmed identity does not mean that every proposal is safe or that the person is authorised to act on behalf of an organisation. It does, however, give you a basis for your decision: you can check the participant’s identity instead of relying solely on a name, photograph or voice.
Asking for confirmation is normal. Caring for loved ones includes the right to stop and check.
A person and an organisation: different grounds for trust
Organisations, banks, institutions and government agencies cannot register in HUMAS System as personal participants. A personal account belongs to a specific individual and does not confirm their authority to act on behalf of an organisation. Organisations have a separate corporate participation and verification process.
Corporate participants can currently use confirmations within their own company on the Platform. Before organisations and institutions can use the feature in interactions with external organisations or private individuals, they must undergo full verification in HUMAS System.
If someone claims to be a bank employee or a government official, confirming their identity is not enough: their authority and the grounds for the specific request also need to be checked.
Participants are invited to test the application
Personal participants in HUMAS System can try Confirmation in the mobile application. Test the feature with another participant in a calm setting so that you can become familiar with the process in advance.
To use the application, you need a personal participant account on the Platform.