Lead Matching by Phone

Feature Snapshot

Summary:
Lead Matching by Phone is a TrustedForm feature that verifies whether the phone number provided with a lead matches the phone number captured during a consumer’s interaction with a web form. The process normalizes the phone numbers—removing non-digit characters—and converts them into a secure SHA1 hash (fingerprint) which is then compared to the submitted lead data.

Key Benefits:

• Ensures consistency between provided lead data and the certificate-captured phone input.
• Helps detect and prevent lead fraud by flagging mismatches between submitted and captured numbers.
• Supports compliance and risk mitigation by verifying that consumer consent is properly documented.
• Facilitates auditing and quality assurance in lead generation processes.

Typical Use Cases:

• Validating third‑party leads at purchase to ensure data integrity.
• Integrating with lead management systems to automatically flag mismatches in real time.

How the Lead Matching by Phone Works

When a consumer fills out a web form, TrustedForm Certify actively monitors the interaction and detects fields that may contain a phone number. It normalizes these values by stripping out non‑digit characters and then converts the number into a SHA1 hash (the fingerprint). Later, when a lead is processed, your system submits the lead’s phone number to TrustedForm’s API, which normalizes and hashes it in the same way. The system then compares the two hashes and result in one of the folllowing:

• Matched: The normalized, hashed phone number from your lead exactly corresponds to the fingerprint stored in the certificate.
• Not Matched: The phone number provided does not match the captured fingerprint.
• Match Not Possible: No phone number was recorded in the certificate, so the matching cannot be performed.
• Match Not Attempted: Matching was possible but the process was not initiated.

Step‑by‑Step Instructions

1. Implement TrustedForm Certify on Your Form:
   Add the TrustedForm Certify JavaScript snippet to your lead generation pages to automatically capture user interactions, including phone number input.

2. Tag and Normalize Phone Fields:
   Ensure the phone number input field is clearly identified (e.g., using names like “phone” or consent tags such as consent‑grantor‑phone) so that TrustedForm can accurately detect and normalize the entry.

3. Generate the Certificate:
   When a consumer submits the form, TrustedForm creates a certificate that includes a SHA1 hash of the normalized phone number as part of its captured data.

4. Submit the Lead’s Phone Number:
   During lead processing, pass the submitted phone number as a parameter in your API request. TrustedForm will normalize and hash this value for comparison.

5. Review the Match Status:
   The API response will indicate whether the phone number provide matches what was recorded in the certificate.

Expected Result:
A “Matched” status confirms that the phone number provided with the lead aligns exactly with the fingerprint stored in the certificate.

Validation & Monitoring (optional)

• Test the Setup:
  Submit test leads manually to verify that the phone number is correctly captured in the certificate and that the TrustedForm API returns the appropriate result.

• Where to Monitor?:
  Regularly review certificate details and matching statuses on the TrustedForm dashboard or via your API logs to ensure that all leads are being accurately validated.

Best Practices

• Use consistent field names and proper HTML tagging so that TrustedForm reliably detects phone number inputs.
• Incorporate consent tag attributes (e.g., consent‑grantor‑phone) to improve data accuracy.
• Audit a sample of retained certificates periodically to confirm that match statuses are accurate and to identify any systematic discrepancies.
• Collaborate with lead vendors to ensure that their form implementations meet the necessary standards for accurate phone data capture.

Troubleshooting

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is lead matching by phone?
A: It’s a process where TrustedForm compares a lead’s submitted phone number with the phone number recorded during the consumer’s form interaction. The numbers are normalized and hashed for secure comparison, helping to verify authenticity.

Q: Why is lead matching by phone important?
A: It is critical for ensuring data integrity, preventing lead fraud, and maintaining compliance by making sure that the consent provided by the consumer is accurately documented.

Q: How do I use lead matching by phone?
A: Implement the TrustedForm Certify script on your web forms, properly tag your phone fields, and then include the lead’s phone number in your API request to TrustedForm. The API will return a match status indicating whether the phone numbers align.

Q: Can I submit hashed phone numbers to TrustedForm?
A: Yes, you can submit raw phone numbers and let TrustedForm perform the normalization and hashing, or you can pre-hash the data as long as the method is consistent with TrustedForm’s process.

Q: What should I do if the phone number does not match?
A: Investigate for potential formatting errors, typos, or discrepancies in the implementation. It might also signal issues with the vendor’s form configuration or potential fraudulent activity.

Glossary