The Verification Files
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Solutions

From problem to proof

How to fix each problem we cover on the show, and the tools that help.

Case no. TVF-005 · Affiliate fraud

Affiliate fraud

The problem

Affiliates sell you fabricated or stolen leads, or take commission on customers you would have won anyway by hijacking your brand searches. Both look like the channel working.

How it’s solved
  1. Check every lead at the point of captureProvero

    Validate phone, email, IP and breach exposure the moment a lead arrives. Fabricated and recycled leads fail these checks before they reach your sales team or your invoice.

  2. Watch who is bidding on your brandMarcode

    Monitor your brand keywords for ads that route through affiliate links, reveal which affiliate is behind cloaked redirects, and take hijackers down.

  3. Pay on validated outcomesProcess

    Pay for leads that pass checks and convert, not raw volume, and hold commission back long enough to reverse fraudulent claims.

Read the case report →Listen to TVF-005 ↗
Example checkIllustrative
Lead from affiliate #A-2231
phone
absent subscriber ×3
email
mailbox not found
ip
data centre
breach
found in known breaches
FlaggedRejected. Not paid for.
Example checkIllustrative
Paid search ad on your brand name
query
"yourbrand"
ad url
shows yourbrand.com
redirect
cloaked → affiliate link
affiliate
identified
FlaggedHijack. Commission withheld, takedown issued.
Case no. TVF-004 · B2B lead gen

Invented B2B engagement

The problem

The names, companies and emails are real, but the download or interaction you paid for never happened. Contact checks pass because the contact exists.

How it’s solved
  1. Confirm the contact is real and reachableProvero

    Validate email and phone to filter out fabricated records. This proves the person exists, not that they engaged, so it is the first filter, not the last.

  2. Demand proof of engagementProcess

    Require the asset, timestamp, source page and consent wording with every lead, and use landing pages you control where you can.

  3. Sample, then track to pipelineProcess

    Call a random sample from each batch and measure how many leads per vendor turn into replies, meetings and opportunities.

Read the case report →Listen to TVF-004 ↗
Example checkIllustrative
Content syndication lead
email
valid, deliverable
phone
live
job title
matches persona
engagement
no proof supplied
On holdReal contact, unproven engagement. Held.
Case no. TVF-003 · KYC

A KYC match is not proof

The problem

A data match shows two records agree. If the reference data is breached or synthetic, a perfect match can confirm a fraudster.

How it’s solved
  1. Treat the match as one signalProcess

    Keep the match, but stop treating it as the answer. It proves consistency between datasets, not that a real person is applying.

  2. Add independent signalsProvero

    Check the phone, email, IP and breach exposure behind the identity. Stolen and synthetic identities usually have one strong element and little behind it.

  3. Step up when the risk justifies itProcess

    For high-risk cases, add document verification with a liveness check from an identity verification provider.

Read the case report →Listen to TVF-003 ↗
Example checkIllustrative
Account application
kyc match
full match
breach
details in known breaches
email
disposable domain
phone
not reachable
On holdMatched, not proven. Step-up check required.
Case no. TVF-002 · Identity

Data that only looks human

The problem

Bots, synthetic identities and generated profiles pass every check that only asks whether each field looks valid.

How it’s solved
  1. Score the whole record, not each fieldProvero

    Combine phone, email, IP, breach and fraud signals into one view. Real people have several strong signals that agree; fake records are shallow.

  2. Look for links between recordsProcess

    Many sign-ups sharing an IP range, device or email pattern usually means one operator, not many people. Check velocity and timing too.

Read the case report →Listen to TVF-002 ↗
Example checkIllustrative
New sign-up
name
plausible
email
deliverable
phone
not reachable
ip
proxy, 40 sign-ups today
FlaggedLooks human. Not proven. Flagged.
Case no. TVF-001 · Trailer

Poor lead quality

The problem

Most bad leads come down to verification: the person isn’t real, isn’t who they claim, can’t be reached, or never asked to hear from you.

How it’s solved
  1. Verify at the point of captureProvero

    Check phone, email and IP the moment a lead arrives, so good leads go straight to sales and bad ones never cost you a call.

  2. Measure quality by sourceProcess

    Compare contact, conversion and complaint rates by supplier. Volume hides problems; quality by source exposes them.

Read the case report →Listen to TVF-001 ↗
Example checkIllustrative
Inbound lead
phone
live, reachable
email
valid
ip
matches stated location
breach
none found
ClearedVerified. Sent to sales.

The toolkit

ProveroVerification and data quality checks

Brings phone, email, IP, breach, fraud and data quality checks into one place, so you can decide whether a record should be trusted before you act on it or pay for it.

Used to solve
Built by the team behind The Verification Files.
Visit Provero ↗
MarcodeBrand protection for paid search

Detects ad hijackers bidding on your brand keywords, uncovers the affiliate details hidden behind fraudulent sites and link cloaking, monitors affiliate compliance and speeds up the takedown of fraudulent affiliates.

Used to solve
Co-founded by Andy Cooney, our guest on TVF-005.

Example checks are illustrative, showing which signals catch each problem. They are not real records.