Identity verification at key milestones
Participants complete a secure identity check during onboarding and periodically throughout their time on Prolific. These checks:
Use industry-standard verification technology (Onfido, an Entrust company)
Confirm the account owner is the person completing submissions
Include a short face scan—never ID documents—triggered outside of studies only
Must be completed within strict time limits
If a participant fails to complete the check, their access to new studies is frozen until they re-verify. This removes both the incentive and ability to share accounts.
Account suspension for incomplete verification
If a participant doesn't complete verification on time:
Their account is temporarily frozen
They must redo all onboarding steps - ID check, phone verification, and onboarding study
They cannot access studies until fully re-verified
This ensures only legitimate account holders remain active and discourages attempts to transfer or sell accounts.
Continuous integrity monitoring
We analyze patterns that may indicate an account is being used by someone other than its original owner. These signals include:
Irregular submission behavior
Suspicious login or device patterns
Multiple failed verification attempts
Activity that deviates from expected participant behavior
When triggered, participants must complete a verification check before they can continue on the platform.
What this means for your data
These safeguards work together to ensure:
Each submission comes from a unique, verified individual
Accounts cannot be shared, rented, or sold
Your dataset remains clean, trustworthy, and high-quality
If you spot suspected fraud in your study, click the Support icon in the bottom-right corner to let us know. We’ll look into it and get back to you with next steps.