What ID Verified means when you hire someone

Hiring someone can involve giving them access to your home, property, business, belongings or personal information. You may also need to pay a deposit before work begins.

Knowing who you're dealing with is useful, but identity is only one part of choosing a service provider.

On Know a Pro, South African Pros complete identity verification as part of signup before their profile can go live.

Once completed, their profile can display the ID Verified badge.

Here's what that means and, just as importantly, what it doesn't mean.

What does ID Verified mean?

ID Verified means the Pro has completed Know a Pro's required identity-verification process.

It is an identity check.

The purpose is to add an identity-verification layer before a Pro profile goes live rather than allowing someone to create a live Pro profile using only information typed into a signup form.

What ID Verified does not mean

ID Verified is not a general seal of approval.

It doesn't mean Know a Pro has verified the person's:

• skill;
• workmanship;
• qualifications;
• professional registration;
• licence;
• business registration;
• criminal history;
• police clearance;
• insurance;
• financial standing;
• reliability;
• honesty;
• trustworthiness;
• safety; or
• future service quality.

Those may require completely different checks depending on the type of service.

Identity and qualifications are different checks

Knowing someone's identity doesn't tell you whether they hold a qualification or professional registration.

For some services, qualifications, registration or other regulatory requirements may matter.

Depending on the job, you may need to check the relevant professional body, regulator, registration, licence, certificate or other credential separately.

Examples can include regulated healthcare professions, security services, certain electrical work, tourist guides and other regulated activities.

Don't assume the ID Verified badge covers those checks.

Identity verification isn't a background check

Don't treat ID Verified as a criminal-record or police-clearance check.

Those are different processes.

If a particular job makes a background check or police clearance relevant to your decision, establish what check is appropriate and ask about it separately.

A police clearance itself should also not be described as a guarantee that someone is safe or trustworthy.

ID Verified doesn't verify the business

A person's identity and a business's legal or regulatory status are different things.

Depending on the service, you may separately want to check matters such as:

• business registration;
• professional registration;
• licences;
• certificates;
• insurance;
• physical premises; or
• other regulatory requirements.

Don't assume ID Verified confirms any of these.

Read the profile, not just the badge

The badge should be one piece of information on the profile.

Also look at the information the Pro has provided about:

• services;
• experience;
• service area;
• pricing approach;
• photographs;
• contact details;
• relevant credentials they claim to hold; and
• reviews.

Consider whether the profile actually matches the work you need.

Check credentials where they matter

If a Pro says they hold an important qualification, registration, licence or certificate, consider whether it can be checked with the relevant issuing body or regulator.

The right check depends on the service.

For example, a healthcare professional's registration is not checked in the same place as a security provider's registration.

Use the relevant official source where appropriate rather than assuming a general directory badge covers every credential.

Treat reviews as customer experiences

Reviews can help you understand what previous customers say about their experience.

They may mention:

• communication;
• punctuality;
• pricing clarity;
• workmanship;
• organisation; or
• how a problem was handled.

Reviews don't prove that someone is qualified, safe, honest or suitable for your particular job.

A strong review history is still not a guarantee of your future experience.

Get the scope and price in writing

Before substantial work begins, make sure you understand what you're agreeing to.

Depending on the job, a written quote or agreement may include:

• work to be done;
• materials;
• labour;
• total or estimated price;
• deposit;
• payment schedule;
• expected timing;
• exclusions;
• additional-work approval; and
• cancellation terms where relevant.

This is separate from identity verification.

Be careful with deposits

A deposit can be normal for materials, bookings or custom work, but understand what you're paying for.

Before paying:

• confirm the amount;
• understand what it covers;
• check who you're paying;
• keep proof of payment;
• understand relevant cancellation/refund terms; and
• be cautious if payment details change unexpectedly.

If banking details suddenly change, verify the change directly with the provider through a contact method you already trust before sending money.

Don't send unnecessary sensitive information

Only provide personal information reasonably needed for the service.

Be cautious with:

• identity documents;
• banking details;
• card information;
• passwords;
• security codes;
• alarm information;
• medical information;
• children's information; and
• access information for your home or business.

The information reasonably needed will depend on the service.

Think about access to your property

If someone will enter your home or business, consider the practical arrangements appropriate to the job.

Depending on the situation, that might mean:

• confirming who is arriving;
• knowing the appointment time;
• asking whether additional workers will attend;
• securing valuables or sensitive documents;
• controlling access to areas unrelated to the job; and
• avoiding unnecessary sharing of alarm codes, keys or security information.

These are sensible practical precautions, not a suggestion that a particular Pro is unsafe.

For childcare, care and other sensitive services, make wider checks

Identity verification alone isn't enough to assess someone's suitability for work involving children, vulnerable people or sensitive care responsibilities.

Depending on the service, additional checks may be relevant, such as:

• qualifications;
• professional registration;
• references;
• employment history;
• appropriate safeguarding checks; or
• other role-specific requirements.

Use the checks appropriate to the role.

For regulated work, check the relevant requirements

Some work has specific South African regulatory or professional requirements.

Don't assume ID Verified replaces these.

If the service involves regulated work, check the requirements relevant to that particular service and verify important credentials independently where appropriate.

Be cautious if the details don't match

If the name, business details, payment information or contact details you're given don't match what you expected, clarify the discrepancy before proceeding.

A mismatch doesn't automatically mean something is wrong, but it is worth understanding before making a payment or giving access to property.

Don't rely on one signal

There is no single badge, review score or online profile that can remove all risk from hiring someone.

A better approach is to use several relevant pieces of information.

Depending on the job, that might include:

• ID Verified;
• the Pro's profile;
• reviews;
• relevant qualifications or registrations;
• references;
• a written quote;
• appropriate insurance information;
• clear payment terms; and
• your own communication with the provider.

Not every check is necessary for every job.

Match the checks to the type, value and sensitivity of the work.

A simple before-you-hire checklist

Before proceeding, consider:

• Does the profile clearly describe the service I need?
• Is the Pro ID Verified?
• Are there qualifications, registrations or licences I should independently check?
• Have I read reviews in context rather than treating them as a guarantee?
• Do I understand the scope and price?
• Do I have important terms in writing?
• Do I understand the deposit and payment arrangements?
• Am I sharing only the personal or access information actually needed?
• If the job is sensitive or regulated, have I made the additional checks appropriate to it?

What the ID Verified badge is for

The badge gives you one clear piece of information:

The Pro has completed Know a Pro's required identity-verification process.

It should sit alongside, not replace, the other checks that matter for the service you're hiring.

Knowing someone's identity can be useful.

Knowing what the badge doesn't cover is equally important.

This article provides general consumer information and was reviewed in September 2026. The checks appropriate to a service depend on the type, value and sensitivity of the work and any regulatory requirements that apply. ID Verified is an identity-verification indicator and isn't a guarantee of qualifications, safety, reliability, compliance or service quality.