PetProov Selects Entrust to Elevate Trust and Safety in Pet Purchasing With Identity Verification

UK pet verification platform PetProov integrates Entrust Onfido identity verification to tackle illegal practices, as PetProov launches #StopPetFraud campaign to protect animal welfare.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entrust, a global leader in trusted payments, identities, and data security, today announces a new partnership with PetProov, an online platform that verifies pet buyers, breeders, and adopters. The collaboration will equip the PetProov platform with the Entrust Onfido identity verification (IDV) to bring transparency, accountability, and peace of mind to the pet marketplace.

Entrust will support PetProov on its mission to tackle the rising trend in scams facing prospective pet owners - 2023 saw a 24% year-on-year increase in pet-purchasing scams, and more than half of all pet-buying scams are now taking place on social media. As a result, PetProov recently launched its #StopPetFraud campaign to drive awareness to the growing issue.

PetProov exists to instil trust and safety in the pet purchasing journey. Its platform eliminates the guesswork, scepticism, and hesitation that can cloud online transactions by asking buyers, breeders, and shelters to create a verified profile. Each profile contains a risk assessment score and report, based on more than 100 data points, so all parties - pet buyers, pet adopters, and pet sellers - can make an informed purchasing or selling decision. PetProov is currently available as a mobile app for breeders, buyers, and pet businesses to use.

With the Entrust Onfido identity verification solution, pet sellers, buyers, and adopters can now register to the PetProov platform by taking a photo of their government-issued identity document (ID) and a selfie. The Onfido application checks that the ID is genuine and then matches it with the user’s face. This ensures that the ID is legitimate and that the individual is the rightful owner of the ID and is physically present. The IDV solution works seamlessly in the background to confirm the individual is who they claim to be, and checks additional risk factors such as proof of address. This strengthens PetProov’s user due diligence and enhances fraud detection, from digitally manipulated IDs to masks and deep fakes, while maintaining an exceptional user experience.

Commenting on the partnership, Kate Margolis, Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer at PetProov, said: “The pet buying process has evolved significantly over the last decade. While it’s still common to visit a shelter or a known breeder, many transactions now take place online, and due to ineffective verification processes, popular pet purchasing platforms have become a breeding ground for unlawful and unethical pet-purchasing scams.

“By adding the Entrust Onfido identity verification solution to our platform, pet buyers have the assurance that the breeder or lister have the correct credentials and licences, and pet sellers have the confidence that the individual they are selling to is authentic. This instils trust and transparency in the marketplace and importantly helps to ensure animal welfare.”

Simon Horswell, Senior Fraud Specialist at Entrust, added: “At a time when online interactions and transactions are increasing, trust is essential. Digital identity verification builds confidence in online exchanges as an individual or business can be traced back to a real identity. This is how PetProov can support safer, and more transparent, pet transactions. We’re thrilled to partner with PetProov to help buyers, sellers, and adopters connect with greater confidence.”

PetProov is available for Android and iOS.

About PetProov

PetProov is transforming the pet adoption and buying process through transparency and trust. Leveraging AI-driven verification, PetProov ensures breeders, buyers and adopters are genuine, helping to eliminate pet fraud, unethical breeding and scams. Our mission is to build a safe pet community, promoting animal welfare and making every pet transaction secure, transparent and reliable.

About Entrust

Entrust is an innovative leader in identity-centric security solutions, providing an integrated platform of scalable, AI-enabled security offerings. We enable organizations to safeguard their operations, evolve without compromise, and protect their interactions in an interconnected world – so they can transform their businesses with confidence. Entrust supports customers in 150+ countries and works with a global partner network. We are trusted by the world’s most trusted organizations. Learn more at www.entrust.com.