William Larsen

Identity verfication - is this a joke?

I came across this this morning. It is touted as being one of the most secure. It uses public information from county and city records. Information includes Name, Address, City, State, zip code, SSN and Date of birth. It then will asks a series of questions based on your credit file. Do you have to get them all correct, no? How many do you need to get correct is confidential.

I have had to deal with security issues in the past. The basis is on a need to know. When dealing with public information as stated above, none of this is secure. Credit reports are easily obtained. If this is one of the most secure means of identifying an individual, then we are all in deep do-do.

An important update about ePayroll
The next time you log in to ePayroll (powered by TALX) to view your paystub online, you may be prompted to reset your password. If so you may be required to verify your identity by answering a short series of questions when re-setting your password. The questions are designed to properly identify you and to protect your privacy.
What is important to know about this security upgrade?
This security methodology is validated by TALX to be one of the most secure on the market.

1. The types of questions you will be asked are a matter of public record and are similar to what you might find on a standard credit application.
2. TALX uses public records and an identity verification service to generate the questions. Your responses are completely confidential and none of the responses are stored for use for any purpose.
3. Your new PIN must be a minimum of 4 numeric characters.
4. The frequency of the authentication questions will vary and may not be required every time you reset your password.
5. This new security feature applies to both ePayroll and W-2 eXpress services.

Please note that employers are not involved in this security verification process. Any information communicated to Talx in the process of verifying your identity is strictly between you and Talx to ensure your complete privacy.

posted by William Larsen @ 11:54 AM