[Psml] PIN Codes

[Dave Hinders]

Tony,

While you did not get a dues notice, this does not apply to all Life
Members. Some squadrons require that Life Members pay squadron dues and they
will receive a notice. It was suggested that dues notices not be sent if the
total was $0 and I believe that is the reason you did not receive one. I
will confirm this tomorrow. However, you have brought to light the need for
a separate notice to Life Members who did not receive notification of their
PIN.

Thanks for the reminder.

Dave Hinders

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Whitman [mailto:tonyw at gol.com] 
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 3:31 PM
To: jrb at accurecord.com
Cc: Dan Bartell; Dave Hinders; jtausps at connectnc.net; tamc55 at flash.net;
United States Power Squadrons Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Psml] PIN Codes

Hi:

Thank you for the explanation, but should point out that Life members 
don't get dues notices or at least I didn't.

Regards,

Tony Whitman



At 04:05 4/27/2009, John R. Bradley wrote:
>Most people understand that logging on (as you must do before reaching the
>member only part of the USPS website) using a certificate number and ZIP
>code is far from secure. To make this identification process more certain,
>we elected to assign a unique PIN to every member.  Now we could have sent
a
>notification letter to each member via first class mail, but the costs
would
>have been prohibitive.  Instead, to save money, we elected to include the
>PIN code notification as part of the dues renewal package that goes to each
>member a couple of months before their membership renewal date.
>Unfortunately, members have either discarded the mail without reading it;
>wrongly inferred from the fact that it came with the dues renewal package
>that it was now necessary to use the PIN to logon to pay dues online; or
>read the instructions on the yellow insert and followed them.
>Because we were getting so many questions, we put up a lengthy explanation
>on the Information Center pages explaining how to recover from a lost PIN,
>etc. That seemed to do more harm than good. One response sent to the C/C
>from certificate number ******* ZIP 03246 was the following:
>
>This is the first negative thing I have come across with USPS.  I just read
>a huge dissertation on how I can get on a "secure portion " of the National
>website.  In the past, it has just been my membership number and mailing
zip
>code. EVEN my credit card company wants less proof of who I am (last four
>numbers of CC and zip code)..
>I had a TS/C (Top Secret/ Crypto) security clearance when I was in the
>service with less crap.
>Please. What is the logic behind the complexities?
>
>While this response substantially underplays the identification process
>required by credit card companies and the FBI/DIA, what the member also
>forgets is that the credit card company originally mailed the credit card
to
>him so he would know what the last 4 digits were. Also, when they speak to
>you on the phone, they know, outside of callerID, the phone number you are
>calling from and can determine from that in many cases if you are who you
>say you are.
>
>So, to bring this brouhaha to a close, The PIN code has nothing to do with
>paying dues. Sometime within the next year when you receive your dues
>renewal, look for the PIN code and yellow insert and follow the
instructions
>on it.
>
>When all of this has settled down, and everyone has a PIN code and has
>chosen a security question and answer, we will be able to create web based
>facilities that require absolute identification of the member on the other
>end of the connection.
>
>R/C John R. Bradley, SN
>Chair USPS Information Technology Committee
>60 Old Brook Road
>Dix Hills, NY 11746-6432
>(800) 777-3770 ext.203 Office
>(631) 546-5768 Home
>(631) 274-2103 FAX
>jrb at accurecord.com
>
>
>________________________________________
>Need to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your email address?  See 
>www.usps.org/mailman/listinfo/psml for details.