ID.me verification requiring video interview with 'trusted referee' - is this normal?

yep thats normal for some ppl. happened to me too when i did mine last month. system couldnt match my selfie to my drivers license photo (probably cuz my license pic is like 7 yrs old lol). the video call is their extra security step when the automated system cant verify u 100%

This is completely normal. ID.me has two verification paths: 1) The automated path - where your selfie and ID match perfectly and you're verified immediately 2) The trusted referee path - where there's any issue with your documentation or facial match, and you need a video call Common reasons for needing the referee include: - Significant appearance changes since ID photo was taken - Poor quality photos or lighting during selfie capture - ID cards with damage or wear - System technical issues The video call is actually a good security feature as it prevents fraudulent claims. Your DEO account should update within 24-48 hours showing you're verified through ID.me.

THEY DID THIS TO ME TOO!!! And then the wait time was like 3 HOURS before I could talk to a referee!!! Ridiculous system. Why make us jump through all these hoops just to get our benefits??? The whole thing is designed to frustrate people into giving up.

I work in IT security and can explain why this happens. ID.me uses facial recognition technology to match your selfie with your ID photo. When the confidence score falls below a certain threshold (too many differences between images), it routes you to manual verification with a trusted referee. This is actually a good thing - it means their security is working properly rather than automatically rejecting you. Common triggers include: - Significant weight loss/gain - Different hairstyle/color - Facial hair changes - Aging (if ID is several years old) - Different glasses - Poor lighting during selfie capture After your video verification, your ID.me status should link to your DEO account within 48 hours. If it doesn't update by then, contact DEO directly.

Update: My DEO account is now showing that I'm verified! It took about 36 hours after the video call. For anyone else going through this process, make sure you have good lighting for the video call and have your ID ready. The referee was actually really nice and the call only took about 5 minutes once I finally got connected. Thanks everyone for confirming this is normal!

Just went through this exact same thing last week! The video call requirement caught me off guard too - I was expecting it to be completely automated. My wait time was about 90 minutes which was frustrating, but the actual call with the referee was pretty straightforward. They just verified my identity documents and asked a few basic questions to confirm I was really me. The whole video portion took maybe 10 minutes once I got connected. My verification status updated the next day and I was able to access my DEO account without any issues after that. Definitely normal from what I can tell!

I just finished my ID.me verification this morning and had the exact same experience! The video call requirement totally blindsided me - I was expecting it to be completely automated like most online verifications. My wait time was about 2 hours which was pretty brutal, but I used the time to get organized and make sure I had good lighting set up. The actual video call with the referee was much less intimidating than I expected - they were very professional and walked me through each step. They had me show my driver's license from different angles and asked me to verify my address and last 4 of SSN. The whole video portion took maybe 5-6 minutes once connected. Based on what others are saying, it sounds like this is just their standard security protocol when the automated system can't get a high enough confidence match. My verification status is still showing as pending, but hopefully it'll update within the next day or two like everyone else's did!

I just went through this exact same thing last week! I was so confused when it suddenly switched to requiring a video call - I thought for sure I had done something wrong during the upload process. My wait time ended up being about 2.5 hours which was absolutely brutal, but I stuck it out since I didn't want to start over. The referee was actually really nice though and made the whole thing feel very routine. They had me hold up my ID at different angles, verify my address, and asked a couple other basic questions to confirm my identity. The actual video portion only took about 8-9 minutes once I finally got connected. What really helped was making sure I was in a room with good natural light and had my physical ID easily accessible. My DEO account updated to show verified status about 30 hours later. It's definitely frustrating that they don't warn you upfront that this might be required, but it seems like it's just part of their normal security process when the automated matching doesn't work perfectly. Hang in there - once you get through the video call part, everything should update pretty quickly!

I just completed my ID.me verification yesterday and had the exact same experience! I was totally caught off guard when it suddenly required a video call - I thought I had somehow failed the automated process. My wait time was about 1.5 hours which felt endless, but the referee was really professional and made the whole thing quick once connected. They had me show my driver's license from different angles and asked basic verification questions like my address and last 4 of SSN. The actual video call only took about 5-6 minutes. My DEO account is still showing pending verification, but based on everyone's experiences here it sounds like it should update within the next day or two. It's really reassuring to read all these similar experiences - definitely makes it clear this is just their standard security protocol when the facial recognition can't get a high enough match. Thanks for posting this question, it's been super helpful to see I'm not alone in being surprised by this requirement!

I just went through this same process two weeks ago and was completely blindsided by the video call requirement! I had set aside maybe 20 minutes thinking it would be a quick automated upload, but ended up spending almost 3 hours total between the wait time and call. My queue time was around 2 hours 15 minutes which was absolutely brutal, but I stuck it out since I didn't want to start over. The referee was actually really nice though - very patient and professional. They had me show my driver's license from multiple angles, verify my full name and address, and confirm the last 4 digits of my SSN. The actual video portion took maybe 8-10 minutes once connected. What helped me was having good overhead lighting and making sure my phone was on silent so there wouldn't be any interruptions. My DEO account updated to verified status exactly 48 hours after the call completed. It's definitely frustrating that there's zero warning about potentially needing to do a video interview, but it seems like this is just their standard security protocol. At least now I know for next time to block out a whole afternoon if I ever have to do ID verification again!

I just completed my ID.me verification this morning and had the exact same experience! I was totally unprepared for the video call requirement - thought it would be a simple upload and done process. My wait time was about 2 hours which was pretty brutal, but I used that time to find better lighting and make sure my setup was ready. The referee was super professional and patient once I got connected. They had me show my driver's license from multiple angles, verify my address and last 4 digits of my SSN, and confirm my full name and DOB. The actual video portion only took about 5-6 minutes. Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is completely normal when the automated facial recognition can't get a high enough confidence match. Really wish ID.me would give people a heads up that this might be required instead of springing it on you unexpectedly! My verification is still showing as pending, but hopefully it'll update within the next day or two like everyone else's has.