VerifyNowFICA, AML and trust-account checks — at matter speed
Built for South African attorneys, conveyancers and law firms. Client onboarding, mandate verification, trust-account AVS and estate tracing — each backed by an audit record you can drop straight into the matter file.
How VerifyNow fits this workflow
The five checks most firms lean on — for individual clients, corporates, estates and trust-account movements.
SA ID Verification
Match clients, directors, executors and beneficiaries against Home Affairs in seconds — the foundation of an attorney FICA file under Section 21.
Learn moreCIPC Company Match
Verify the corporate client or counterparty against the CIPC register and confirm directors before you accept a mandate or sign a transfer instruction.
Learn moreBank Account Verification (AVS)
Confirm the account number and holder details before releasing funds from the trust account — a practical control on trust-transfer instructions.
Learn moreAML / PEP / Sanctions Screening
Screen clients and counterparties against sanctions, PEP and adverse media watchlists as part of your FICA risk-management and compliance programme.
Learn moreConsumer Trace
Locate estate beneficiaries, missing respondents and debtors by SA ID for fraud detection and fraud prevention under NCA Reg 18(4)(b) / POPIA s11(1)(f).
Learn moreWhere it gets used
Four matter-level moments where a verification step belongs in the file.
- 01
Client onboarding
When a new client instructs the firm, run SA ID Verification to capture the Home Affairs record and AML/PEP screening to assess sanctions, PEP and adverse media exposure.
- 02
Accepting a corporate mandate
Before acting for a company or trust, use CIPC Company Match to confirm registration and directors, then verify each signatory with SA ID Verification.
- 03
Deceased estate administration
For Master of the High Court estates, run SA ID Verification on executors and heirs, and use Consumer Trace to locate beneficiaries whose contact details are stale.
- 04
Trust-account transfer
Before paying out a conveyancing proceeds or settlement amount, verify the beneficiary bank account with AVS to reduce push-payment fraud risk on the trust account.
Compliance basis
Legal practitioners are accountable institutions under Item 3 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA). Admitted attorneys, notaries and conveyancers must apply customer due diligence under Sections 20A to 21H, keep records under Sections 22 to 23, report suspicious and cash threshold transactions to the Financial Intelligence Centre, and maintain a Risk Management and Compliance Programme (RMCP) tailored to the firm.
The Legal Practice Act and the Legal Practice Council’s rules overlay additional obligations on trust-account activity — including the duty to keep proper records of all money received and paid on behalf of clients. Pairing a FICA customer due diligence check with a bank account verification (AVS) on the beneficiary account is a straightforward practical control on payout fraud before trust money leaves the firm.
The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) applies to every client, estate and counterparty record the firm holds. Verification data must be collected only for the specific purpose it was obtained for, kept secure, and retained only for the period your legal obligations require. Our consumer trace service is provided strictly for fraud detection and fraud prevention under Regulation 18(4)(b) of the National Credit Act and Section 11(1)(f) of POPIA.
Questions, answered
Are attorneys FICA accountable institutions?+
Yes. Legal practitioners — attorneys, notaries and conveyancers admitted under the Legal Practice Act — are accountable institutions under Item 3 of Schedule 1 to the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA). That brings client take-on, trust-account activity and property transfers inside the customer due diligence, record-keeping, reporting and Risk Management and Compliance Programme (RMCP) obligations of the Act.
How does VerifyNow fit with my practice management software?+
Every verification on the platform is available as a REST API call in addition to the dashboard. Practice management tools can call the API at the point of client onboarding, mandate acceptance or trust transfer, and store the returned transaction ID against the matter. Full endpoint details are in our API documentation at /api-docs.
How do I verify a beneficiary of a deceased estate?+
Start with SA ID Verification to confirm the beneficiary exists and is not deceased. Where the beneficiary cannot be contacted on the details held in the will or the Master file, run a Consumer Trace — scoped to fraud detection and fraud prevention — to retrieve recorded addresses and contact numbers from official sources, then follow up in writing.
What records must I keep for FICA?+
Under FICA Sections 22–23 you must keep records of the identity of each client, the steps taken to verify identity, and the nature and terms of each transaction, for at least five years from the end of the business relationship or single transaction. The VerifyNow dashboard stores an auditable trail of every check — inputs, results, transaction ID and timestamp — that you can export for the file.
Does POPIA apply to client files and trust records?+
Yes. The Protection of Personal Information Act applies to every law firm handling client, counterparty or estate data. Verification data should be collected and used only for the specific FICA, LPC trust-account or mandate purpose it was obtained for, kept secure, and retained for the period your legal obligations require — typically the five-year FICA minimum.
Take on your next client — compliantly
Create a free account and run your first FICA, CIPC or AVS check in minutes. Pay per lookup — no subscription.