Cell phone now needed for Social Security AND Bank login

[AlwaysRt]

4 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Isn't that what he said, in capital letters with asterisks?  Or am I missing something?

Yes, that was from his most recent post of several. I should have gone back and selected the one he said GV still does not work with his Bank of America (BoA) account.

I edited my post to quote his about the bank not working.

Edited August 4, 2016 by AlwaysRt

[Gentleman.Jack.Darby]

3 hours ago, AlwaysRt said:

Same last week with my BoA account. I already had my GV number listed but retyped it, hit update and receive a verification text via gmail in about 30 seconds. It works for me so it should work for you is why I suggest looking over your GV settings.

Thanks for the info on BofA.

I will go back and double-check my settings on their site as well as GV and re-test.

[Mr. Bobo]

Yesterday I tried to get a Google Voice phone number from here in the Philippines and was unsuccessful. Everytime I logged into Google Voice there was no “Get a voice number link ” option like there should have been, I was scratching my head wondering why until I stumbled across this blurb on the internet:

To get a Google Voice number:

Your IP address must resolve to a location in the lower 48 United States

http://www.ip-adress.com/ will show your IP address

While logged into your Google account on a computer, not a phone browser.

Go to http://www.google.com/voice and use the Get a voice number link on the left.

To complete the process you have to verify at least one forwarding phone on the account.

per instructions https://support.google.com/voice/answer/165221?rd=1

The phone will have be a US number as well.

A Google Voice number or Google Voice Lite is only supported in the United States and a phone with a US number is required in order to use it. Users outside of the US can use Call Phone in Gmail to make international calls at affordable rates.

These Google folks are smart. I used my VPN (Hotspot Shield) to get a US IP address, the IP address that I received resolved to San Jose, Ca which is certainly in the lower 48 states. I then created a completely new Goggle acccount and attempted to get a Google Voice number using the new Google account that I created from the US IP address but the same thing happened.  I didn't see the “Get a voice number link. Even though I created the new Google account with a US IP address Google was smart enough to know that I did it using a VPN.

I then started looking for a workaround for this call phone verification SMS problem other than Google Voice and found a real easy one, and it is free. There is an app on Google Play called Textfree by Pinger. Inc, here is the URL:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pinger.textfree&hl=en

Just download the Textfree app and create an account. The app is free so you will not be asked for any credit card info. The app will give you a bunch of US phone numbers to choose from, just select the number that one you want. After creating the account you will get a verification email to verify the account. After completing the registration process you are done. You now have a virtual US phone number that will be able to receive a text message and forward it automatically to your mobile phone here in the Philippines. You also will be able to receive inbound calls on your mobile from the US number. I verified this by calling my Textfree US number from my Skype account and my mobile phone did receive the incoming call. Anytime you want to use Textfree just make sure that you have the app running on your mobile device.

After I got my Textfree phone number I logged into the social security website, entered my Textfree US phone number as required and in a nanosecond I received the SS security code on my mobile phone here in the Philippines!

When I first tried to download the Textfree app I received the "This item isn't available in your country" message. I got around this problem by using my VPN (Hotspot Shield). Hotspot Shield is available for free on Google Play. Just download it, fire it up by tapping the CONNECT icon, and then you should be able bypass the country restriction and download the Textfree app. What's interesting is that when I tried to download the app today the country restriction had been lifted and I didn't need to use a VPN to download it. Maybe the Android developer saw my attempt to download the app from the Philippine and decided to lift the country restriction.

NOTE: The easiest way to install the Textfree app is to email the Textfree Google Play URL link to yourself and then just click on the link after you open the email and the Google Play install process will start.

 

 

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 hours ago, Mr. Bobo said:

The app will give you a bunch of US phone numbers to choose from, just select the number that one you want.

Am I right in guessing that the free numbers are either single use or shared numbers.  That may mean your secret code can be viewed by others if that is a problem.

[Mr. Bobo]

22 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Am I right in guessing that the free numbers are either single use or shared numbers.  That may mean your secret code can be viewed by others if that is a problem.

The US phone number that you select is unique and yours alone. The US phone number gets linked to the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of your cell phone when your account is created which means that the US phone number is tied to a specific device (yours). The IMEI number is a unique 15-digit number assigned to all cellular devices. When an SMS message is sent to the Textfree assigned US phone number it only gets forwarded to the specific device whose IMEI number is linked to that phone number. I don't think that there are any security issues here, however, if I am wrong it won't be the first time. Use it at your own risk!   

[OnMyWay]

3 hours ago, Mr. Bobo said:

These Google folks are smart. I used my VPN (Hotspot Shield) to get a US IP address, the IP address that I received resolved to San Jose, Ca which is certainly in the lower 48 states. I then created a completely new Goggle acccount and attempted to get a Google Voice number using the new Google account that I created from the US IP address but the same thing happened.  I didn't see the “Get a voice number link. Even though I created the new Google account with a US IP address Google was smart enough to know that I did it using a VPN.

Strange, I went through something similar with Google but I didn't have a problem.  With my google email account that I have had for several years, I had set up a google voice account a few years ago.  I never used it and they do expire if you don't use them

So I went to set up a new one, without logging in to VPN, and I also did not have the option to get a voice number.  So then I used VPN, and had no problem going through the steps to get the new number, with my sister's help in the U.S.

Thanks for the Textfree info!  I'll try that too!

[Mr. Bobo]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

Strange, I went through something similar with Google but I didn't have a problem.  With my google email account that I have had for several years, I had set up a google voice account a few years ago.  I never used it and they do expire if you don't use them

So I went to set up a new one, without logging in to VPN, and I also did not have the option to get a voice number.  So then I used VPN, and had no problem going through the steps to get the new number, with my sister's help in the U.S.

Thanks for the Textfree info!  I'll try that too!

Maybe Google is now wise to the fact that people are bypassing their rules with a VPN. I am sure it would be easy for Google to get the IP addresses of most VPN provider's servers and to block a user from creating a Google Voice number if the request it coming from a known VPN IP address. HotSpot Shield is a very popular VPN as it free. Maybe had I used a more obscure VPN provider the results may have been different. With that being said, let us know how the Textfree works out for you. As a byproduct of getting the capability to receive text messages in the Philippines it looks like with Textfree one can talk Philippine mobile phone to US mobile phone for free if the call is initiated by the person in the US and they have unlimited minutes from their Mobile carrier.   

[Gentleman.Jack.Darby]

13 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Am I right in guessing that the free numbers are either single use or shared numbers.  That may mean your secret code can be viewed by others if that is a problem.

The numbers assigned by texting / phone apps like TextFree, TextPlus, etc. are "virtual" in the sense that they aren't provided by cell providers or conventional phone companies like AT&T, but usually one does get their "own" number. However, one's "own" number can't be ported to some other provider.

Usually, unless one uses the number periodically (30 days for TextPlus) or pays a nominal subscription fee, the number is "recycled", ie; reassigned.

That can present a problem if one uses that number as a number for SMS verification codes to get into an online account - if the number expires, then one has no way to get the verification SMS to get into the account to change the number to a valid number.

The only time there would be a problem with someone else seeing an SMS, or any other two-factor authentication code, is if that someone else also knew the account, eg: a Bank of America bank account **AND** one's login credentials, eg; user ID and password for that account.

The whole point of two factor authentication is to have two things required to get into an account - something one KNOWS (user ID and password) and something one HAS (SMS verification code, Google Authenticator code, etc. - in both cases, in theory, one must possess a cell phone for these).

When two-factor authentication is turned on for an account, having just one or the other of the two is worthless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gentleman.Jack.Darby]

13 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Strange, I went through something similar with Google but I didn't have a problem.  With my google email account that I have had for several years, I had set up a google voice account a few years ago.  I never used it and they do expire if you don't use them

So I went to set up a new one, without logging in to VPN, and I also did not have the option to get a voice number.  So then I used VPN, and had no problem going through the steps to get the new number, with my sister's help in the U.S.

Thanks for the Textfree info!  I'll try that too!

I would also appreciate hearing how TextFree works - I took a quick look at it and am considering it, but I've been a satisfied TextPlus / NextPlus user for quite a while.

One thing I'm particularly like to know is if TextFree works with SMS shortcodes (TextPlus / NextPlus **DOES NOT**).

Google Voice has had shortcode support for about 3 years, but I can't get SMS verification codes from either Bank of America (73981) or Chase. I can get the SMS verification code from BofA fine for setting up the GV number as a cell phone, but SafePass SMS verifications still fail.

To test shortcode support, simply text "HELP" to a shortcode - I've been using Chipotle (888222) and Starbucks (22122). If shortcodes are working and the owner supports this, when one texts "HELP", one gets a reply

 

 

 

[intrepid]

7 hours ago, Gentleman.Jack.Darby said:

I can get the SMS verification code from BofA fine for setting up the GV number as a cell phone, but SafePass SMS verifications still fail.

That is where I am.  The needed SafePass code still fails.  So what are our solutions?