How to Get Verified on Facebook

By Carolyn Abram from Facebook For Dummies, 4th Edition

Confirmation and verification are Facebook’s way of trying to make sure you are really you, and that the e-mail address you used to sign up is really yours. After you finish the three getting started steps, you may see a banner like this across the top of your Home page.

To confirm that you are, in fact, you; and that the e-mail address is, in fact, yours, go to your e-mail, look for that message, and open it. That e-mail contains a link. Click the link in that e-mail and you will be confirmed.

You may have already confirmed your e-mail address by using the Friend Finder or other normal activities. If Facebook isn’t bugging you about it with banners or follow up e-mails, you can pretty much assume you’re good to go.

Verification is a way to make sure that beyond just owning an e-mail account (which, unfortunately, any evil robot can do), you are a real human being who won’t abuse Facebook or post inappropriate content. Unfortunately, Facebook has a bit of a “guilty until proven innocent” attitude about all of this. And Facebook puts you through a series of tests to prove your innocence.

Most of these tests aren’t ones you have to actively take. Instead, just use the site as your lovely, non-spamming self, and eventually you’ll be verified. If you’re concerned about being verified right away, however, you can be verified by activating Facebook Texts:

On your Home page, click Register for Facebook Text Messages.

If this link does not appear on your home page, click the Home button in the top-right corner, select Account Settings, choose Mobile from the left menu, and click the Add a Phone button. A pop-up appears. Under the drop-down menus, a line of text reads, Just need to verify your account? Add your phone number here.
Click the Add Your Phone Number Here link.

This opens the Confirm Your Phone window.
Select your country code.
Enter your phone number into the Phone number box.
Click Confirm.

This sends a text message containing a code to your phone.
Back at your computer, enter that code into the designated box on the screen and click Confirm.

After you’ve confirmed this code, your account will be verified.