About Chris_ZipID

ZipID bookings are now available for your clients on the Gold Coast! Servicing from Coomera to Coolangatta.     I'm happy to announce that the ZipID agency service is now available to service your clients on the Gold Coast from Coomera to Coolangatta - first bookings available from the 18th of November. ZipID's agency service lets your clients conveniently complete VOI face to face at their home or work, delivering to you a compliant ID report. >> Update your client VOI instructions here if you're already a customer. If you're interested in getting started with ZipID please register to get started. If you have any questions about ZipID please feel free to reach out to me on 07 3837 1316 or email chris.tempelman@zipid.com.au.   Kind regards,   @Chris_ZipID  Chris Tempelman Head of Operations, ZipID   ... View more

In December 2018 following extensive industry consultation ARNECC published Version 5 of the Model Participation Rules (MPR) which take effect on 25 February 2019. Reliance on ZipID as agent for VOI and Client Authorisation signing (if ZipID used) remains unchanged. See the ARNECC website for details.   Client Authorisations In MPR v5 the Client Authorisation form has been updated. Earlier versions of signed Client Authorisations held by you remain valid. For firms using ZipID to assist with the signing, collection and return of Client Authorisations, our signature will continue to be placed in the section marked “REPRESENTATIVE AGENT” at the bottom of the updated form (see extract below).   In consultation with ARNECC, we’ve taken the opportunity to update clause 17 and 2.2 of our Verification Agency Agreement. These updates are consistent with the authority given in our existing opt-in process for users to elect for ZipID to sign Client Authorisations as Representative Agent together with every VOI we complete.   Reminder Two key points found in the ARNECC Guidance Note #1 – Client Authorisation    "Ideally, the verification of identity of the client would be completed at the time the client signs the Client Authorisation" The combined VOI + Client Authorisation process is fully supported by the ZipID ‘come to you’ agency service. Users of the ZipID Mobile Verification App can image the signed Client Authorisation as part of the App workflow. -- and --   "The Client Authorisation and any evidence supporting the Client Authorisation can be stored electronically" i.e. retention of a completed electronic copy of the signed form (e.g. as a PDF as part of the ZipID VOI Report) meets compliance.   Update your preference If you are not already taking the benefit of ZipID signing, collecting and returning Client Authorisation together with every VOI Report completed by us (for no extra charge), please click here to instruct us to do so.                 ... View more

The threat posed by cyber fraudsters targeting parties to property transactions and their advisors is escalating. Keeping security front of mind and making continuous efforts to follow security best practice is in each of our individual and collective best interests.    Key reasons cyber fraudsters are targeting conveyancers and lawyers:    Most conveyancing and law firms are small to medium businesses with limited technology budgets and internal IT expertise compared to larger corporations. Large cash amounts are exchanged between firms and clients. Extensive reliance is placed on online systems to do business, including email As part of our total commitment to fraud mitigation ZipID has been engaging widely around this topic with industry participants, security professionals, and insurers. We have a simple practical overview to help assess your firm’s path towards security best practice.   DOWNLOAD CYBER SECURITY HEALTH CHECK   Please subscribe to  ZipID's Security Series  if you would like to stay up to date on our contributions to this important topic. If you would like to confidentially discuss any VOI, Client Authorisation or cyber risk management topics your firm is exploring you can get in touch with me on the contact details below. Kind regards, Sean Simmons Head of ZipID E: sean.simmons@zipid.com.au P: 0400 808 915.       ... View more

Hi Guys   Thought some of you might be interested in the latest LIV podcast. It has a look at the misunderstandings and challenges in practice around Client Authorisations, as the January 1 deadline making these mandatory for all conveyancing transactions approaches.   Did you know ZipID can collect and co-sign the Client Authorisation at the same time as the VOI? Get in touch with us on 1300 073 744 or support@zipid.com.au if you would like more information.   Cheers, Chris from ZipID ... View more

Hosted by Sean Simmons, Head of ZipID   Webinar details for 10:45 AM (AESDT) 22nd November 2017   REGISTER HERE: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/424447059277825795   Client Authorisations have become a critically important additional step for lawyers and conveyancers to implement.    In this webinar, Sean Simmons, Head of ZipID and national VOI expert will share practical insights and pitfalls learned from working with a wide range of firms across Australia.  If your firm is still transitioning to Client Authorisations or is experiencing compliance and productivity challenges in practice this webinar will benefit you. Sean will provide practical guidance on:   The purpose and significance of the Client Authorisation The key challenges practitioners face in optimising workflow and client experience Common misunderstandings regarding Client Authorisations Best practice Client Authorisation in regards to compliance and efficiency Q&A We recommend you log into the webinar 5 mins prior to the start of the session to ensure you are able to access the webinar.  The webinar requires a Launcher program to download and run and may be blocked by your Firewall.  Please consult your I.T. team if you experience this. ... View more

Client Authorisation Form becomes mandatory for Paper transactions from 1st January 2018   Land Use Victoria confirmed in Bulletin 171 (October 2017) that Client Authorisation Forms will be mandatory in Victoria for all conveyancing transactions from 1 January 2018. Currently, they are mandatory for electronic lodgements using PEXA. Click here to download a copy of the Client Authorisation Form.   ARNECCA Guidance Note 1 confirms that ideally the Client Authorisation Form should be signed at the same time as the VOI.   Practitioners are encouraged by the Registrars to start using Client Authorisations as part of their VOI processes before the transition period ends. This means that a conveyancer or lawyer must have a Client Authorisation in place if they need to sign either an electronic or paper instrument on behalf of their client.   **REMINDER. A fully signed copy of the CA Form is now included within  ZipID PDF Reports.  When you have provided to your client a CA Form to sign at their VOI appointment, ZipID as your authorised agent will witness its signing and return the  fully signed  CA Form to you as part of the ZipID VOI Report (PDF). This is all included as part of our VOI fee. When you use the ZipID Mobile App to conduct VOI yourself you can capture the fully signed CA Form using the “Additional Document” step at the end of the App’s workflow. This enables you to retain a fully signed copy of the CA Form as part of your ZipID VOI Report stored in our secure portal for your record keeping.     Here are some tips to ensure CA Form compliance:   1. The Form must be correctly filled out by you before your client signs with the client(s) name(s), either: (i) the specific conveyancing transaction (i.e. real property address), (ii) revocable standing authority, or (iii) batch of transactions, and your firm’s details.  2. When offering your clients the option of using an Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID), you should provide the client clear instructions to bring the CA Form with them to the VOI meeting for signing by your client at the meeting. 3. The Guidance Note recommends you counter-sign the CA Form when you conduct the VOI or your Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID Pty Ltd) counter-sign when we conduct the VOI. If the CA Form is signed by ZipID, the conveyancer or lawyer does not also need to sign the CA Form. 4. The Client Authorisation Form must be in the approved format. This is available on the ARNECC website along with a helpful Guidance Note and FAQs. 5. A copy of the fully signed CA Form should be retained by you for 7 years. The Guidance Note confirms an electronic copy can be retained rather than the wet-inked original. ZipID VOI Reports include the signed CA Form as part of the single PDF Report you can download and save to your file or retrieve at any time using the ZipID portal.   ... View more

Client Authorisation Form becomes mandatory for Paper transactions from 1st January 2018 Land Use Victoria confirmed in Bulletin 166 that Client Authorisation Forms will be mandatory in Victoria for all conveyancing transactions from 1 January 2018. Currently, they are mandatory for electronic lodgements using PEXA. The Registrar’s requirement for Client Authorisations for paper conveyancing transactions came into effect on 26 May 2017. The transition period will end on 31st Dec 2017. Practitioners are encouraged by the Registrar to start using Client Authorisations as part of their VOI processes before the transition period ends. This means that a conveyancer or lawyer must have a Client Authorisation in place if they need to sign either an electronic or paper instrument on behalf of their client. Click here to download a copy of the Client Authorisation Form    REMINDER. A fully signed copy of the CA Form is now included within  ZipID PDF Reports.   When you have provided to your client a CA Form to sign at their VOI appointment, ZipID as your authorised agent will witness its signing and return  the fully signed CA Form to you as part of the ZipID VOI Report (PDF). This is all included as part of our VOI fee.     Here are some tips to ensure CA Form compliance:   1. The Form must be correctly filled out by you before your client signs with the client(s) name(s), either: (i) the specific conveyancing transaction (i.e. real property address), (ii) revocable standing authority, or (iii) batch of transactions, and your firm’s details.  2. When offering your clients the option of using an Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID), you should provide the client clear instructions to bring the CA Form with them to the VOI meeting for signing by your client at the meeting. 3. The Guidance Note recommends you counter-sign the CA Form when you conduct the VOI or your Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID Pty Ltd) counter-sign when we conduct the VOI. If the CA Form is signed by ZipID, the conveyancer or lawyer does not also need to sign the CA Form. 4. The Client Authorisation Form must be in the approved format. This is available on the ARNECC website along with a helpful Guidance Note and FAQs. 5. A copy of the fully signed CA Form should be retained by you for 7 years. The Guidance Note confirms an electronic copy can be retained rather than the wet-inked original. ZipID VOI Reports include the signed CA Form as part of the single PDF Report you can download and save to your file or retrieve at any time using the ZipID portal.   www.zipid.com.au  ... View more

REMINDER. A fully signed copy of the CA Form is now included within ZipID PDF Reports.     ARNECC's updated Guidance Note released on 27 May 2017 reinforces the role and requirements for Client Authorisations (CA Forms).   Use of CA Forms in conjunction with VOI takes on increasing importance as the use of PEXA grows and alignment of state-based rules for paper and electronic dealings continues.   When your client provides a CA Form to our representative at the VOI appointment, we'll witness its signing and return the fully signed CA Form to you as part of the ZipID VOI Report (PDF format). This is all included as part of our VOI fee. Here are some tips to ensure CA Form compliance:   The Form must be correctly filled out by you before your client signs with the client(s) name(s), either: (i) the specific conveyancing transaction (i.e. real property address), (ii) revocable standing authority, or (iii) batch of transactions, and your firm’s details. When offering your clients the option of using an Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID), you should provide the client clear instructions to bring the CA Form with them to the VOI meeting for signing by your client at the meeting. The Guidance Note recommends you counter-sign the CA Form when you conduct the VOI or your Identity Agent (e.g. ZipID Pty Ltd) counter-sign when we conduct the VOI. If the CA Form is signed by ZipID, the conveyancer or lawyer does not also need to sign the CA Form. The Client Authorisation Form must be in the approved format. This is available on the ARNECC website along with a helpful Guidance Note and FAQs. A copy of the fully signed CA Form should be retained by you for 7 years. The Guidance Note confirms an electronic copy can be retained rather than the wet-inked original. ZipID VOI Reports include the signed CA Form as part of the single PDF Report you can download and save to your file or retrieve at any time using the ZipID portal.   If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch with ZipID on 1300 073 744 or support@zipid.com.au.   Watch our video on how ZipID work here: https://vimeo.com/174294605   FREE registration for ZipID here: https://zipid.com.au/signup        ... View more

Click here for the iOS version for the App   If you have any questions please contact ZipID on 1300 073 744 or support@zipid.com.au        ... View more

ZipID parent company, Veda’s 2016 Cybercrime and Fraud Report has revealed identity fraud in Australia is up 80% over the past year. Identity takeover is the fastest growing type of fraud reported. It is where a genuine identity is stolen from an individual and misused for financial gain. 25% of Australians have been a victim of identity theft, +17% year-on-year.   What are the insights this trend points to for property lawyers and conveyancers? Face to face plays a vital role in risk management The fundamental reason that VOI ‘safe harbour’ requires a face to face interview process is to help ensure that the person you are transacting with is in fact the same person shown in their identity documents. The VOI Standard combines a face to face meeting with original identity documents. This is designed to provide a robust level of scrutiny to combat fraud risks including identity takeover. A high and consistent level of rigour is especially important for land transactions given the principle of indefeasibility and the costs involved in remedying land title fraud. Secure storage of identity details is a social responsibility Identity takeover is fuelled by insecure data storage practices which give criminals access to the details they need to steal a person’s identity. Best practice data security techniques as used by ZipID include encryption of stored client identity information and strict access controls using secure logins and audit trails. These types of methods are essential to ensure your firm does not become a source of data breach compromise. As part of the Veda Group, ZipID’s market leading ‘come to you’ identity verification agency service and VOI App help protect organisations and individuals against the risks of identity fraud. To learn more about using ZipID for VOI either by your team or by us meeting your clients contact support@zipid.com.au.     ... View more

Good morning everyone,   @KazVB asked a great question this morning about how the conduct a VOI for overseas clients, so I thought I'd do a dedicated post on it.   ARNECC has released an updated Guidance Note 2 (19/01/2016) offering more specific guidelines on how to deal with VOI for overseas clients. For clarity - the only safe harbour verification is schedule 8, which is unlikely to be achieved for an overseas client, so you need to rely on reasonable steps here. We've studied the detail and note there are 4 simple steps to get your overseas client verified.   1. Instruct your client to make a booking at the nearest embassy or consulate to have their ID documents certified. Click here for a full list of Australian embassies and consulates overseas. 2. Provide your client with the Acceptable Document categories, a copy of your Client Authorisation form and theWitnessing Certification. Your client will need to present these at the Australian embassy or consulate. 3. The Australian embassy or consulate will conduct the interview and complete the following steps: Prepare and endorse copies of the original ID documents Witness the CA Form (if required) Complete, sign and date the Witness Certification 4. Your client will then need to send the certified ID documents to you directly (the Australian embassy or consulate won’t do that for you). We recommend you consider options for secure transmittal of this identity information.   If you have any concerns about the authenticity of the ID documents you receive from your client, ARNECC recommend c ontacting the officer listed on the Witnessing Certification to have the details of their appointment with your client confirmed by emailing <firstname>.<surname>@dfat.gov.au or consular.policy@dfat.gov.au if you can’t reach the individual.   If you have more questions about VOI please feel free to get in touch with me or tag me in your post.   Thanks, Chris from ZipID   ... View more

The Canberra Times reported this morning that a registered proprietor whose house and identity was stolen by overseas scammers has been forced to sue the government for compensation.  Read the full story here.  If this had happened in a state where the VOI Standard applies, and the solicitor or conveyancer could not provide evidence of safe harbour VOI, they would be exposed to the fraud risk.  The VOI Standard that safeguards solicitors or conveyancers from identity fraud risk has now been implemented for conveyancing transactions in WA, SA, VIC and NSW. Whilst VOI may feel inconvenient to some the importance to public safety and integrity of the land register is profound.  “It is unclear how many people may have been responsible for the sophisticated scam that shocked Canberra's real estate industry”  ACT has not yet introduced the VOI Standard. ACT firms may be preyed upon by fraudsters looking for weak links in the property system. Firms operating elsewhere without consistent safe harbour VOI practices may also be exposed to this threat.  ZipID’s agency service and VOI App ensure best available evidence of safe harbour VOI to guard your firm and Australian property owners against the threats of identity fraud in property dealings. ... View more

Find out how PEXA and over 600 conveyancers and solicitors complete quick and easy safe-harbour VOI   Watch the video here         ... View more

Just a reminder that the new VOI regulations will be mandatory for all transactions from the 1st August.   I've had a few practitioner's ask for our Navigating VOI series to be put in one spot so I've created this link for you guys: https://www.zipid.com.au/safeharbour   Schedule 8 can be found on page 43: http://www.arnecc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/205926/Model_Participation_Rules_Version_3_Clean.pdf    Good luck anyone - I'm happy to answer any VOI related questions.   Thanks, Chris ... View more