Verification of Payee

Verification of Payee (VoP) is a security service that helps protect you from sending money to the wrong person or falling victim to payment fraud. It checks whether the account number (IBAN) and the name you've entered for a payment match before you complete the transaction. It applies to all SEPA credit transfers within the EU/EEA, both instant and standard euro payments

Why is VoP important?

VoP protects you from:

• Typing errors - Accidentally entering the wrong account number
• Fraud - Scammers providing fake account details
• Misdirected payments - Sending money to an unintended recipient

How does VoP work?

Whether you're making payments through our API or manually, VoP automatically performs these steps:

• Payment details are provided - The recipient's IBAN and name are submitted (via API request or manual entry)
• Instant verification - Our system checks if the IBAN and name match
• Result is returned - You'll receive one of four possible outcomes:
  • Match - The name and IBAN match perfectly
  • Close Match - The name is similar but not identical (e.g., due to spelling variations)
  • No Match - The name and IBAN don't match
  • Other - Verification couldn't be completed. For example, if the destination bank is not available at that moment.
• Action decision - Based on the result, you can choose to proceed with or cancel the payment

What happens if there's no match?

As explained before, the decision to proceed or not with the payment is yours. If you receive a "No Match" or "Close Match" result:

• You'll be warned that the payment might go to the wrong account
• You can still proceed if you're certain the details are correct
• We recommend double-checking with the recipient before continuing

Important: If you proceed despite a mismatch warning, you may be liable if the funds go to the wrong account.

For business customers: Bulk payments

If you're a business customer who submits multiple payments as a batch or package (whether through our API or other channels), you have the option to:

• Opt out of VoP for bulk payment submissions
• Opt back in at any time

How Devengo's API implements VoP

Devengo provides a dedicated VoP verification endpoint that separates the verification step from payment execution, giving you full control over the payment flow.

The verification workflow will be:

1. Call the VoP endpoint with the recipient's IBAN and name
2. Receive the verification result (Match, Close Match, No Match, or Other)
3. Make your decision based on the result:
   • To proceed: Call the payment creation endpoint and include the verification ID received in Step 2.
   • To cancel: Simply don't proceed with the payment

Need help?

If you have questions about Verification of Payee or encounter any issues with the service, please contact our customer support team.