KYC (know your customer)

KYC programs vary by industry and country, but most include some combination of:

• Identification: collecting a name, date of birth and address.
• Document verification: checking a passport, ID card or driving licence, often with a selfie or liveness check.
• Screening: comparing the customer against sanctions and watch lists.
• Ongoing monitoring: re-checking customers when risk signals change.

Checks may be done in person or online through specialized identity-verification vendors. The depth of checks usually scales with the risk of the service: opening a bank account demands more than signing up for a newsletter.

There are legitimate reasons behind KYC:

• Financial regulation. Banks, payment firms and many crypto exchanges operate under anti-money-laundering rules that require customer identification.
• SIM registration laws. A number of countries require mobile operators to register the identity of every SIM holder, so buying a local prepaid SIM there involves showing ID.
• Fraud prevention. Some platforms verify identity to reduce fake accounts or chargebacks.

Requirements differ widely by jurisdiction and change over time. This page describes them generally and is not legal advice.

A phone number is sometimes used as a lightweight identity signal instead of full KYC. Services that send an SMS code learn that you control a number, not who you are. Where a number was sold under SIM registration rules, however, it may be linked to a verified identity held by the carrier.

PhoneBorn is a zero-KYC service: sign-up needs only an email address and password, with no name, ID documents, address or existing phone number, and payments are made in crypto. That is a design choice for privacy, not a way around anyone else's rules. Other services you sign up to with a PhoneBorn number may still run their own KYC, and you must use the number lawfully. See how PhoneBorn works and our privacy policy.