Market map / Identity proofing
Prove
Uses mobile-network and phone-number signals to passively verify identity and device possession for onboarding, authentication, and fraud prevention.
- Category
- Phone-centric identity verification & authentication
- Lane
- Identity proofing
- Founded
- 2008 (Prove since 2020)
- Ownership
- Private; VC/PE-backed
- HQ
- New York, US
Summary
Prove (formerly Payfone) draws on mobile network operator and authoritative data to verify identities and confirm real-time device possession. Pre-Fill auto-populates onboarding forms with verified data to cut friction, and Trust Score is a real-time risk measure of a phone number and identity used to flag SIM swap, account takeover, and synthetic fraud. It is widely used by large US banks and authenticates tens of billions of transactions a year.
Best for
Banks, fintechs, and regulated enterprises wanting low-friction, phone-based onboarding and step-up authentication tied to mobile possession.
Consider if
Your markets have weak mobile-network data coverage or unreliable phone-to-identity linkage.
Strengths
- Passive, low-friction verification using carrier and possession signals
- Strong SIM-swap, account-takeover, and synthetic-fraud coverage (Trust Score)
- Deep adoption among large US banks and regulated institutions
Considerations
- Coverage depends on mobile-network-operator data, strongest in the US
- Phone-centric model is weaker for users without a stable mobile number