Rather than using something more standard like multi-factor authentication, Bank of America issue its customers a physical device called the SafePass Card. Unfortunately, there seems to be some flaw in its manufacturing that renders its useless, and Bank of America deny there’s a problem. Here’s the story.

 Whereas most financial institutions these days have implemented standard two-factor authentication, accessible via mobile apps like Google Authenticator and Authy, Bank of America relies on their own proprietary system known as SafePass, and provides two options for accessing the system:

The first option is to associate a mobile phone with your banking account, to which the bank will send (via SMS) authentication codes needed for certain kinds of transactions made within online banking. This option is a non-starter for anyone spending enough time outside the United States to warrant a mobile contract with a foreign telephone provider for use when traveling.

You’d think that an obvious solution would be to use a Google Voice telephone number, since the internet-based Google Voice service is capable of receiving SMS messages. But unfortunately, for reasons nobody can figure out (try Googling it), the Bank of America SafePass system can not send SMS messages to Google Voice numbers.

The second option is a physical SafePass card which the bank can issue for a fee of $20. Pressing a button on the SafePass card generates and displays a one-time SafePass code.

I used such a SafePass card for nearly five years, until its internal battery died. I’ve since tried three times now to replace that card—and all three replacement SafePass cards have arrived defective. The defect is the presence of bubbles or splotches in the liquid display which obscure the code digits.

YOU CAN SEE PICTURES AND ALL THE CLIENTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN THIS LINK:

http://dafacto.com/bank-of-america-safepass-card-bubbles/

BANK OF AMERICA PLEASE CHANGE YOUR SAFE PASS METHOD TO SOMETHING MORE FAST, RELIABLE AND CHEAPER, LIKE GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR OR AUTHY!!!

All the text and pictures was from http://dafacto.com/bank-of-america-safepass-card-bubbles/ and the posters.