Question: I got an email supposedly from the Social Security Administration saying “soon you will no longer be able to sign in to your online Social Security account using your Social Security username and password” and telling me to click on a link in the email to sign into my account. This sounds like a scam, but the email looks real. Please check into this.
Answer: You are one of several readers who reported receiving this email early last week, before the SSA announced more broadly on Friday that customers who created a “my Social Security” account before Sept. 18, 2021, must transition to a Login.gov or ID.me account to continue to access their Social Security account online, through which they can estimate future benefits, manage benefits they receive, request a replacement Social Security card or check the status of a Social Security application, to name some examples.
As we told you and other readers, although the emails you received seem legitimate, there are sure to be impersonators as well, so it’s safer to go to the SSA website, ssa.gov, to sign into your account and follow the transition instructions, rather than clicking through a link in an unsolicited email. On the sign-in page, you’ll be asked to sign into Social Security via Login.gov, ID.me, or, if you created your account before Sept. 18, 2021, using your username and password.
The last option will be phased out starting in September, which is why account holders are receiving emails now urging them to make the switch. “The agency is making the changes to simplify the sign-in experience and align with federal authentication standards while providing safe and secure access to online services,” Friday’s news release said.
A person who signs in with a user name and password “will be presented with an option to easily transition to Login.gov. Once their account is successfully linked, a confirmation screen will appear, and they will have immediate access to their personal my Social Security services,” the news release said.
Users who already have a Login.gov or ID.me account don’t need to create a new one; their existing account can be used to log in with multiple U.S. government agencies, including Social Security. Those who don’t have such an account are directed to create one, preferably at Login.gov, or, if they live outside the United States, at ID.me, according to the Social Security website. Read more at ssa.gov/myaccount/create.html.
Creating and using a Login.gov or ID.me account requires a higher level of identity verification than was needed to create a my Social Security account prior to Sept. 18, 2021. Go to login.gov/help or help.id.me/hc/en-us for details about what is required for these methods, respectively.
Q: Must a person be Native Hawaiian to join the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, and, if the answer is yes, is there some sort of affiliated membership for people who are not Native Hawaiian but who support the CNHA’s goal and would like to participate to the extent allowed? I have been so impressed by their work, especially since the Maui fires.
A: No, you don’t have to be Native Hawaiian to join the CNHA, described on its website as “a member-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians.”
“We welcome all to our membership, as long as they align with our mission,” Visa Castillo, the CNHA’s director of member services and the Hawaiian Way Fund, said in an email.
Membership for individual community members costs $50 a year, according to the CNHA website, hawaiiancouncil.org, where you can read more about programs and events, including its upcoming convention.
Auwe
Auwe. On Friday, I rode TheHandi-Van and was about to sit in an available seat closest to the driver. To my dismay, the seat and the safety belt were filled with animal hair. I pointed it out to the driver, who told me they have no portable vacuum and that a lady with a service dog had previously been sitting there. I do love animals and had a pet dog, but as an owner you are responsible for your service dog or pet and should have considerations for others who use shared ride transportation. I did report it to TheHandi-Van customer service office so that policies can be established. — Sincerely, G.F.
Mahalo
Many thanks to the young man who helped me get my shopping cart into the cart escalator at Target at Ala Moana Center. I had never encountered this conveyance system before and struggled with it. I was about to abandon my cart out of embarrassment when he showed up with a smile and a helping hand. What a relief! — Mahalo from an infrequent shopper
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
