Interesting People mailing list archives

re Bank of America's SafePass Security: strike out

From: Dave Farber <dfarber () me com>
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:07:36 -0400





Begin forwarded message:

From: Simon Coles <simonc () amphora-research com>
Date: April 27, 2010 3:30:31 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Bank of America's SafePass Security: strike out

[For IP if you wish]

We have a Bank of America account for our US company, which has employees in the US but we do the bookkeeping from 
the UK. One day we went to pay our US employees, only to find we couldn't until we signed up for a SafePass card. But 
we couldn't sign up for a card, the web site just wouldn't work - the "Submit" button (if I recall correctly) just 
wouldn't appear. 

After many long conversations with their help desk (who blamed our computers, referred us to different departments 
etc.) we finally accessed the BofA web site from a web proxy in one of our US offices, and it worked just fine...

The BofA web site is generally fine when we're outside the US. Except when you are trying to order a SafePass card 
when it just fails silently. And this restriction isn't published, there are no error messages shown, and the 
customer support team are unaware of this. 

Why they put this restriction in, I don't know - we can't be the only ones wanting to access our bank account from 
outside the US.



Simon


On 26 Apr 2010, at 22:42, Dave Farber wrote:





Begin forwarded message:

From: Joel M Snyder <Joel.Snyder () Opus1 COM>
Date: April 26, 2010 4:46:59 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Bank of America's SafePass Security: strike out

[For IP if you wish]

Bank of America lets their patrons sign up for "SafePass," which is a credit-card-sized one-time password device.
You MUST sign up for SafePass for certain transactions (like large transfers) but it is optional for most customers.

I signed up. Much to my woe.

The sign-up fee for the card is $20.

I got my card, and it's physically defective: no number shows up when you push the button.

To get this problem remedied, Bank of America has me in an infinite loop. The phone people cannot send me a new
card (why? I don't know). So I am supposed to do this through the web site.

However, once you have signed up for SafePass, you must use your SafePass to make any changes to SafePass
(including getting a replacement card, and let's not even start on whether or not it's going to cost me another $20
to get a replacement for the first defective card).

So I was transferred from customer service agent to customer service agent, and each one assured me that they need
to get this card activated. Some thought that if they activate it on their end, through the miracle of the ether,
this will suddenly cause numbers to show up on my display here. (Attempting to explain that this could not work
turned out to be a losing battle). I went through supervisors. I went through supervisors to supervisors.

In the end, the "solution" that they came up with--after 55 minutes on the phone, mind you--is that I should order
a new card (not a replacement, which I cannot do, because the current card cannot be activated, but a new card, as
if I need two of these things). They agreed to make a $20 credit on my account, and this will then add up to
solution required.

And all this because I was trying to do "the right thing..."

jms

--
Joel M Snyder, 1404 East Lind Road, Tucson, AZ, 85719
Senior Partner, Opus One Phone: +1 520 324 0494
jms () Opus1 COM http://www.opus1.com/jms

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-- 
Simon J. Coles
Amphora Research Systems
Blog: http://elnblog.com
Email: simonc () amphora-research com
Web site: http://www.amphora-research.com/
Phone (Europe): +44 (0)845 2300160 x2001
Phone (USA): +1 800-221-3916 x2001




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re Bank of America's SafePass Security: strike out Dave Farber (Apr 27)