We Cannot Process Your Request at This Time Please Try Again Later Social Security Reddit

Mei 21, 2022 Posting Komentar

The U.Due south. Social Security Administration appear last week that it will at present require a cell phone number from all Americans who wish to manage their retirement benefits at ssa.gov. Unfortunately, the new security measure does petty to foreclose identity thieves from fraudulentlycreating online accounts to siphon benefits from Americans who haven't notwithstanding created accounts for themselves.

ssasite The SSA said all new and existing 'my Social Security' account holders will need to provide a cell phone number. The agency said it volition use the mobile numbers to ship users an 8-digit code via text bulletin that needs to be entered along with a username and password to log in to the site.

The SSA noted information technology was making the modify to comply with an executive gild for federal agencies to provide more secure hallmark for their online services.

"People will not be able to access their personal my Social Security business relationship if they do non have a jail cell telephone or practise non wish to provide the cell telephone number," the bureau said. "The purpose of providing your cell telephone number is that, each time you lot log in to your account with your username and password, we volition send you a one-time security lawmaking y'all must also enter to log in successfully to your account. We expect to provide boosted options in the future, dependent upon requirements of national guidelines currently being revised."

Although the SSA'south policy change provides additional proof that the person signing in is the same individual who established multi-factor hallmark in the the first identify, information technology does not appear to provide whatever additional proof that the person creating an account at ssa.gov is who they say they are.

The SSA does offer other "extra security" options, such as the sending users a special code via the U.Southward. Postal service that has to be entered on the agency's site to consummate the signup process. If you choose to enable extra security, the SSA will and so inquire you for:

The last eight digits of your Visa, MasterCard, or Notice credit menu;
Information from your W2 tax form;
Information from a 1040 Schedule SE (cocky-employment) revenue enhancement form; or
Your direct deposit amount, if you receive Social Security benefits.

Sadly, it is all the same relatively piece of cake for thieves to create an account in the proper name of Americans who have not already created i for themselves. All one would need is the target'south name, date of birth, Social Security number, residential address, and telephone number. This personal data can be bought for roughly $3-$4 from a variety of cybercrime shops online.

Later on that, the SSA relays four multiple-estimate, so-chosen "knowledge-based authentication" or KBA questions from credit bureauEquifax. In practice, many of these KBA questions — such as previous accost, loan amounts and dates — can exist successfully enumerated with random guessing. What'southward more, very ofttimes the answers to these questions can exist found by consulting complimentary online services, such as Zillow and Facebook.

In September 2013, I warned that SSA and financial institutions were tracking a ascent in cases wherein identity thieves register an account at the SSA's portal using a retiree'southward personal information and have the victim's benefits diverted to prepaid debit cards that the crooks control. Unfortunately, because the SSA'southward new security features are optional, they do footling to block crooks from hijacking SSA do good payments from retirees.

Considering it's possible to create just ane my Social Security account per Social Security number, registering an business relationship on the portal is 1 basic way that Americans can avert condign victims of this scam.

To recap: Once yous establish and verify your account and offset getting texted codes to login, from and so on you will exist more secure. If you lot have not signed up already, these new security options practise not make it whatever more than difficult for someone else to sign up as you.

Considering that many senior citizens are all the same wary of text letters and likely have never sent or received one, it's not clear that these optional security measures will become over well. I would like to see the SSA arrive mandatory to receive a ane-time code via the U.S. Mail to finalize the cosmos of all new accounts, whether or not users opt for "extra security." Perchance the agency will require this in the future, simply it'due south mystifying to me why it doesn't already do this by default.

In addition to the SSA's optional security measures, Americans can farther block ID thieves past placing a security freeze on their credit files with the major credit bureaus. Readers who accept taken my ceaseless advice to freeze their credit will demand to temporarily thaw the freeze in order to consummate the process of creating an account at ssa.gov. Looked at another way, having a freeze in place blocks ID thieves from fraudulently creating an account in your name and potentially diverting your regime benefits.

Alternatively, citizens can cake online admission to their Social Security account. Instructions for doing that are here.

The SSA's new text messaging system is evidently experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment, at least for Verizon Wireless customers. The SSA posted this bulletin on its site over the weekend: "Nosotros are working to fix a problem that is preventing Verizon wireless customers from receiving the cell phone security lawmaking. Verizon wireless customers are unable to access their personal my Social Securityaccount at this time."

Update, 1:00 p.thou. ET: For the record, I requested comment from the SSA well-nigh why they did non apparently contact all users by U.S. mail service to verify their identities. I received the following response:

"The Social Security Administration protects the data entrusted to us and has strengthened the online registration process by making identity verification and hallmark more than stringent. We cannot provide more than details publicly as we don't want to draw a roadmap for criminals."

As well, as one reader already pointed out in the comments beneath, the SSA's adoption of 2-factor SMS authentication comes as the National Institute for Standards and Applied science (NIST) released a draft of new authentication guidelines that appear to be phasing out the use of SMS-based ii-cistron authentication.

Update, Aug. 11, 2016: A source who helped me test some things for this story past signing upwardly at the SSA's portal said he received a snail mail letter of the alphabet the other day notifying him that someone signed up an account in his name online. So, the SSA is mailing letters if yous sign up online, just they don't take that opportunity to deliver a special code to securely complete the sign up. Go effigy.

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