Social Security Begins New Electronic Social Security Number Verification Service

The Social Security Administration has begun the initial rollout of its new electronic Consent Based Social Security Number (SSN) Verification (eCBSV) service.  The agency is rolling out the service to selected participants through 2020, and plans on expanding the number of users in 2021.

“Our new electronic SSN verification service helps reduce synthetic identity fraud by comparing agency records with data provided electronically by approved participants,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security.  “This is an important online service that helps us provide participants and their customers fast, secure, and more efficient SSN verifications.”

Social Security created eCBSV, a fee-based electronic SSN verification service, to allow select financial institutions and service providers, called “permitted entities” and including subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, subcontractors, or assignees of a financial institution, to verify if a person’s SSN, name, and date of birth combination matches Social Security records.  Social Security needs the person’s written consent and will accept an electronic signature in order to disclose the SSN verification to the permitted entity.  eCBSV returns a match verification of “Yes” or “No.”  eCBSV does not verify a person’s identity.

Social Security is committed to rolling out eCBSV to all selected permitted entities. The participants approved for the initial rollout are:

Capital One Services, LLC

Computer Information Development, LLC

Discover Financial Services

Early Warning Services, LLC

Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

ID Analytics, LLC

SentiLink Corp.

Synchrony Financial

Zions Bancorporation

Each of the service providers selected can serve up to 20 permitted entities, and with the financial institutions, there is the potential of 124 permitted entities participating in the initial rollout.

This announcement does not affect the existing Consent Based SSN Verification service.

For more information, see www.socialsecurity.gov/dataexchange/eCBSV/.