You can use Contact Key Verification to receive automatic alerts that help verify you’re communicating only with the people you intend. You can also generate unique codes that you and your contacts can compare simultaneously in the Messages app to further verify each other’s identities. Additionally, you can post your Public Verification Code to a social media account so other people can confirm that it’s you when they send you a message, and you can save other people’s codes in the Contacts app.
Note: Contact Key Verification is designed to prevent highly sophisticated cyberattacks; it isn’t designed to prevent fraud such as phishing or other text-based scams. To learn more about Contact Key Verification and troubleshooting, see the Apple Support article on your iPad.
Tap the person’s name at the top of the conversation, scroll down, then tap Verify Contact.
When the other person taps Verify Contact on their device, a contact verification code appears.
Compare the verification codes on both devices, then do one of the following:
If the codes match: Tap Mark as Verified, tap Update to add the verification code to the other person’s contact card, then tap Done.
If the codes don’t match: You might not be communicating with the person that you intend. Tap No Match, then stop sending messages to the person until you can verify their identity.
After you verify a contact, a checkmark appears next to their name in Messages. You can also check their verification status in the Conversation Details, or find their Public Verification Code in Contacts.