📧 Pre-warning clients before sending verification requests

Before sending verification requests through Firmcheck, you may want to let your clients know what to expect.

This can be especially helpful if you are contacting a large number of clients using our bulk-send option (more information on that here), carrying out IDV refresh checks, or introducing a new verification process. It helps reassure clients that the request is genuine and reduces the chance of confusion when the email arrives.

What clients will see

Verification requests are sent from:

[email protected]

The sender name will show as your firm name in Firmcheck. This is usually your firm’s name on the account and can be changed here.

For example, if your organisation name in Firmcheck is ABC Accountants, the email may appear in your client’s inbox as being from ABC Accountants, with the sender email address [email protected].

Why send a pre-warning email?

Sending a short message before your verification requests go out can help:

• Reassure clients that the email is genuine

• Improve completion rates and avoid the email from being buried in their spam folder

• Reduce questions from clients about whether the request is legitimate

• Make the verification process feel more familiar and expected, promoting a great client experience

When to send it

You may want to send a pre-warning email:

• Before sending verification requests to your existing client base in bulk or individually

• When onboarding a new client

• When introducing Firmcheck as part of your client verification process

Example email to send to clients

Subject: You’ll shortly receive a verification request from us

Dear client,

We’ll shortly be sending you a verification request as part of our anti-money laundering checks.

The request will be sent using Firmcheck, our AML software provider. It will appear to come from [Firm name], and the sender email address will be:

[email protected]

When the email arrives, please follow the instructions to complete the secure online verification process. To help make sure the email reaches you, you may wish to add [email protected] to your safe senders list.

If you’re unsure whether the email is genuine, please contact us directly before clicking any links.

Kind regards,
[Firm name]

Suggested wording

You can also adapt the following shorter wording for your own client communications:

“You’ll shortly receive an email from us asking you to complete a secure verification request. The email will be sent using Firmcheck, our AML software provider, and will come from [email protected].”

Tips

When writing your own pre-warning email, we recommend that you:

• Keep it short and clear

• Mention that the request is part of your AML checks

• Tell clients the sender email address to expect

• Explain that the email will appear to come from your firm’s name

• Ask clients to contact you directly if they are unsure whether an email is genuine