I have never actually seen that request, but I haven't registered with any new-to-me companies in several years. I have been asked for a photo of me. I have been asked for a copy of my driver's license. It is not terribly surprising that some company might try to get the license and self portrait together--and certainly easier as a selfie with a camera phone than with a regular camera shot in a mirror.
The issue is ascertaining that the MSC is indeed dealing with the person they think they are dealing with. In the past companies terminated shoppers they wished to deal with no further only to find the shopper registered again using a different name. The request for social security number is, in part, an attempt to prevent that. Most states no longer use the driver's social security number on their license, so a copy of a driver's license is not proof much of anything. But it is illegal in most places to have a falsified driver's license or state ID, so a photo of you and your state ID or license shows their due diligence to know who they are hiring as contractors.
[Sorry, posted too fast.] If you got the name and website for the company asking for this information from our list of companies at the bottom of each page of this forum, you can feel secure the company is legitimate.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2019 02:27AM by Flash.