The last attempt by the Social Security Administration to increase online security was a disaster that did not last long. The agency is about to try again.
It is relatively easy to log in to the Social Security Administration and get access to all of the information about your account. A few basic details are all that is required.
This has led to concerns about privacy and identity theft.
Since it does not take much for a legitimate user to log in, it does not take very much for thieves to log in either. The agency attempted to fix this problem in 2016, by requiring a two-step verification process before account access was granted.
That was short-lived, however, as many people were unable to log in to their accounts.
The agency is going to try again with a modified process, as Investment News reports in “Social Security Administration steps up online security.”
In its last attempt, the agency sent users a code via cellphone to verify their accounts before they could log in. That was a problem, since many elderly people do not use cellphones.
This time around, the agency will let people choose to have the code sent by cellphone or email. It is assumed that if are trying to access their Social Security accounts online, then they will almost certainly have email accounts, even if they do not have cellphones.
This change is scheduled to take effect on June 10, 2017.
Anyone who has problems accessing their Social Security accounts online after that, should speak to an elder law attorney.
Reference: Investment News (May 15, 2017) “Social Security Administration steps up online security.”
