Has anyone come up with a foolproof way of validating who someone is online? So that if I buy something online I can absolutely sure that person is a legit person?

Paypal, if it goes wrong you get your money back.

Gift Ok Mike?

A google of username and email to see if they have form or show up as a fairly normal person. Mostly only pay what I can afford to lose and if in doubt walk away

yep Gift Drac, send it and you will have a good time…

Social media profiles using the supplied email address? That’s what I sent someone when they wanted verification before giving me several thousands pounds! If not Twitbook/Instaface/YouSnap then Strava or Garmin Connect or anything like that.

Meet at my house?
Buy off forum regulars, who are known by lots of folk?
Buy from local bike club members?

Just pay the fee’s! If you’re spending the kind of money that’s worth worrying about (for you) then protect yourself.

get a current bill from where they live
google them and their address afterwards
streetview where they live
social media check them
check the history from singletrack/ebay etc
write an email outlining what the transaction is and get them to reply confirming they agree
send a small amount first to check its going to the correct email
pay the fees and put what the money is for in the paypal notes box
collect instead if less than 200 miles, both driving half way
go with your gut feeling after all of the above

I asked someone for a recent (blanking out the more private bits) payslip/utility bill/bank statement and have been asked for the same when buying/selling more expensive bits.

No gaurentee the parts will be any good, or that they’ll post them or anything else that paypal may or may not cover for, but at least it’s a reasnoble proof of address.

Surely there’s an app that allows me to store my validated ID online so I can share it with people?

I asked someone for a recent (blanking out the more private bits) payslip/utility bill/bank statement

Could easily knock up a random name/ address that looked legit. And I’d probably blank out anything that would be useful to prove you are who you are, don’t really see it as anywhere near a foolproof method.

So, no one knows of anything other than essentially using paypal in the legitimate way?

Get them to send a photo with their passport? Maybe another photo with bills or something? Short of a state-provided digital ID card there’s not a great deal more you can do. And avoid PP Gift, of course 🙂

Fair question. I let a flat during the Edinburgh festival, the guy was from the USA and wanted me to prove I was a real person, and the flat was a real flat. I took a picture of me, in the flat (trying not to laugh)holding up a copy of a current newspaper, and sent him a copy of some bills in my name (not easy, had been let out for years).

I suggest a Selfie with the goods in question, and a current newspaper, standing outside his house.

P.S I wouldn’t send somebody a copy of my passport – FWIW – that is overkill. And I work in info security.

You mean online someone from STW? Just check their history.. Easy to spot their buying/selling habits

P.S I wouldn’t send somebody a copy of my passport – FWIW – that is overkill. And I work in info security.

You’ve obviously never bought something from CRC from Spain! They demanded a photo of my passport, credit card, and a bill… I’m guessing they’d been stung more than once.

And I wouldn’t say it’s overkill, just blank out the number and issue date. The rest is hardly a secret.

Edit: the selfie idea is also a pretty good one!

Could easily knock up a random name/ address that looked legit. And I’d probably blank out anything that would be useful to prove you are who you are, don’t really see it as anywhere near a foolproof method.

No, even I could photoshop Elvis’s royalty statement or the Queens heating bill, but it’d put off the casual chancer I suppose. And most people could tell the difference between a knocked up bit of A4 paper with an address on it Vs the perforated slips most P60’s/payslips come on.

Someone bought my old SC Blur 4X off me online.

No pics
On pinkbike

His MiL met me/did the deal. She had no clue about bikes.

Amazes me sometimes. Maybe he had a good hunch about the seller?

Surely there’s an app that allows me to store my validated ID online so I can share it with people?

maybe it could charge a small percentage of the transaction as a fee to cover it’s costs?

the meeting up with random folk is an interesting one too…she said she was the mother in law but what if she’d be intercepting e-mails (OK improbable) or maybe he just had a penchant for santa cruz riding chaps and was going to bundle you into the back of van 😉