Good morning!
Having worked in an establishment where verification of the ages of
customers was part of my job (as a waitress, in an upscale steakhouse
with a full bar), I know how important it is to make sure the
verification is accurate. Unlike the usual fashion (in person),
attempting to verify online or through other means can be very tricky.
Let's tackle the documents you reference above, first. The first one,
from the Amercian Vintner's Association, discusses their
recommendations for online age verification. This association has a
vested interest in ensuring that their vendors don't expose their
backsides, so I tried to have a look at the service they recommend,
"VerifyMyID", by CreditCards.com. A thorough Google search and a
search of the CreditCards.com site turned up nothing - a mere four
hits turned up either mentions of the document above, or were copies
of it.
I have an e-mail inquiry in to CreditCards.com asking about the
service - with luck, they will respond with information before I'm
finished writing this up. If they don't, I will post any response as
a clarification if/when it arrives. Should they not get back to me at
all, you may be able to obtain more information about the program from
the American Vinter's Association by calling 1-800-879-4637.
We'll look at other services in a minute.
The second document you note references the Child Online Protection
Act, and discusses the effectiveness of age verification procedures .
As you can see by the charts presented, there really isn't a
completely foolproof method of verification, but credit card systems
seem to be the closest to that.
It would appear, based on these documents, that if your client wants
to make sure his backside is well and truly covered, he will have to
implement an extra step or two for his own protection and peace of
mind, as well as for compliance with the "point of sale and delivery"
requirements.
First, initial verification. As you noted, there are a number of
credit card based ID verification services. Sadly, the vast majority
of instructions for acquiring such services are aimed primarily at
"providers of adult content". If use of such services requires an ad
on your clients site (some do), he might not
want...unsavory...associations. Searching for services that don't
specifically mention pornographic content has been...interesting.
Here is the most widely used credit card based Age Verification
Service (it's also one of the few I looked at today, out of dozens,
that did not present me with "adult fun" images on every page):
AdultCheck - Site Owners Page
http://msm.adultcheck.com/cgi-bin/merchant.cgi?65590
Your client could use an AdultCheck page as a gateway to his online
order form. There is a category in the sign up box labeled "Other -
Non-sexual". It's well buried, but it's in there.
Similarly, he could try a service like CyberAge, also widely used:
CyberAge
http://aux.avsofchoice.com/wmtour/protected.html?refwm=3572117
A method of ID verification from well known credit reporting agency
Equifax, IDVerify, does not require a credit card, and has worked to
great effect on sites like eBay. Customers submit their name, Social
Security Number and a few other personal details, then they complete a
simple questionnaire. The information provided is instantly
crosschecked with the Equifax database, then the consumer is either
verified or asked to call an 800 number. I completed the process for
my own eBay account some time ago, and found it very simple to use.
Trying to get information about the program's implementation from the
vendor's side on your behalf is absolutely impossible, however.
According to Equifax's strict privacy policies, businesses *must*
contact Equifax directly. They flatly refused to provide me with a
number to give you pertaining specifically to the IDVerify program,
stating that they must speak to the business and *only* the business.
They won't even talk about services they have available.
After being routed through no fewer than 10 people (I'm not
exaggerating)in an hour(!), I was finally able to obtain a starting
point for your client:
Equifax - New Accounts
1-800-711-534 Select option 3 for the sales department. Prepare for
long hold times, multiple transfers, and stonewalling. They aren't
exactly "user friendly".
In spite of my frustration with attempting to weave through their
complex, almost Byzantine system for taking calls, I still feel this
service would be worth a look.
You can test drive the verification process from the consumer end
here:
IDVerify
http://pages.ebay.com/help/basics/g-idverify.html
You need to be a registered eBay user (registration is free), and
completion of the verification process costs $5, but it is, IMO, $5
well spent.
One to watch for (it is not yet operational) is Cash Key:
CashKey
http://www.cashkey.com/
Something else that may be of interest to your client is the Philip
Morris Company's age verification process. It's slow, but perhaps he
could model a similar system on this, relying on faxed copies instead
of mail copies for faster service? Once customers are verified, they
could be given a user name and password to access the order form. It
might slow things down a little initially, but would prove invaluable
for returning customers, and ensure that your client is in compliance
with state and federal laws:
Philip Morris USA - Age Verification Form
http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/DisplayPageWithTopic.asp?ID=206
With respect to age verification at the delivery end of the
transaction, your client can specify through the shipper that the
package may not be claimed without proper identification - a simple
statement on the order form, which the customer agrees to by
submitting the form, advising that the delivery agent will ask for
proper identification, and stating that identification that does not
match the ordering information exactly will not be accepted and the
package will be returned to the vendor should suffice. Have him check
with the local agencies for precise wording, as liquor laws vary from
county to county. For extra security, he could insist that the credit
card information exactly match the ID information, and that the credit
card used also be presented with the ID, to trip up potential fake
ID/Dad's credit card number situations.
Compliance with state and federal liquor and tobacco laws, in addition
to rules set forth by vendors of these products can be a tricky
situation. I hope the information I managed to ferret out for you
will help. If you feel I've left something out, you you just need
more information, please don't hesitate to ask for a clarification,
and I will be happy to assist you further.
Best of luck to you and your client,
missy-ga |
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