Verified Mode explained: what verification does and doesn't prove

How verification works on Mekora

Verification is optional. A member completes a live selfie check, and where required confirms a government-issued ID. The live capture is compared against the photos on the profile to confirm the same person appears in both. When the check passes, a verified indicator is added to the profile.

Nothing about your ID document is shown on your profile. Other members only ever see the badge itself — never your document, your legal name or your date of birth.

What a verified badge proves

• A real, live person completed the check — not a bot or an automated script.
• That person visually matches the photos on the profile, so you are not talking to someone using stolen images.
• Where ID was checked, that the person is an adult aged 18 or over.

What it does not prove

• That they are honest about their job, their relationship status, their intentions or anything else they typed.
• That they are single.
• That they are safe, kind or trustworthy.
• That they have no history elsewhere. Verification confirms identity, not character.

How verification data is handled

• Verification material is transmitted over encrypted connections and handled with tighter access limits than ordinary profile data.
• It is used to run the check and to investigate abuse — not to build an advertising profile of you.
• Retention periods and your rights over this data are set out in our Privacy Policy.

Should you get verified?

In practice, verified profiles get more replies, because the badge answers the question everyone silently asks: is this person real? If you are comfortable with the check, it is a few minutes of effort that removes the most common source of hesitation about you.

It is equally reasonable to decline. Some people have good privacy reasons to avoid ID checks, and Mekora does not require verification to use the app. If you are unverified, expect to be asked for a video call earlier — and treat that as a fair request rather than an insult.

Using verification wisely as a reader

• Use the badge to reduce your worry about impersonation, not your worry about intentions.
• If someone is unverified, a short live video call gets you most of the same assurance.
• Be suspicious of anyone who claims to be verified elsewhere and asks you to visit an external 'verification' site — that is a well-known scam, and no legitimate verification ever happens off-platform.