The Social Security Administration is updating its Electronic Consent Based SSN Verification service (eCBSV). Previously, the system returned only a simple "Yes" or "No" match for a submitted name, date of birth and SSN combination. Now, financial institutions will also be able to see which specific fields — name, DOB or SSN — failed to match when the overall result is a "No," along with a death indicator. While the binary match has been a valuable tool in detecting synthetic identity fraud, this added detail can help distinguish between harmless typos and more suspicious activity.
We are pleased to share that SentiLink is integrated with this new API, and interested partners should reach out to us to learn how to begin testing and using it. In fact, in keeping with tradition, our co-founder and CEO Naftali was front-of-the-line to have his information validated through the enhanced eCBSV service.
Consent language and other required changes
For an existing eCBSV user, accessing the enhanced eCBSV data requires a change to consumer-facing consent language. While the change is modest, we know the process to push any tweak into production can be quite complicated.
Importantly, the updated language must be in place prior to receiving the enhanced eCBSV data:
| Original Required Language |
Updated Required Language |
Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Disclose Your Social Security Number Verification
I authorize the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify and disclose to [Name of Financial Institution] through SentiLink, their service provider, for the purpose of [specific purpose/"this transaction"] whether the name, Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth I have submitted matches information in SSA records. My consent is for a one-time validation within the next [number of days]. |
Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Disclose Your Social Security Number Verification
I authorize the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify and disclose to [Name of Financial Institution] through SentiLink, their service provider, for the purpose of [specific purpose/"this transaction"] whether the name, Social Security Number (SSN) and date of birth I have submitted matches information in SSA records, including the basis for a no-match response. My consent is for a one-time validation within the next [number of days]. |
Current SentiLink partners interested in exploring this should reach out to their Partner Success manager to discuss these and related technical changes.
What is eCBSV and when should you use it?
Launched in 2020, eCBSV (Electronic Consent Based SSN Verification) allows financial institutions to verify a person's name, date of birth, and SSN directly with the Social Security Administration — digitally, and without the hassle of paper forms or wet signatures. SentiLink was the first eCBSV provider, with our co-founder as its first verified consumer.
eCBSV is particularly useful for detecting synthetic fraud, where applicants use fake or partially fake identities. Because synthetic identities often have credit files but no real SSA-issued SSNs, eCBSV returns a “No match,” indicating a likely synthetic identity. As such, eCBSV has proven very effective as a step-up verification tool, especially when paired with SentiLink's Synthetic Fraud Score.
eCBSV can also be used as a supplement to a financial institution's Customer Identification Program (CIP). CIP is a regulatory requirement that requires collection of an applicant’s name, DOB, SSN, and address and verification of the applicant’s overall identity. If your CIP provider can’t verify an applicant’s identity, eCBSV represents an easy way to verify the combination of Name, DOB, and SSN as a real identity.
Now is a great time to integrate eCBSV
Overall, this is a unique moment: SSA has historically been very resistant to any operational improvements to eCBSV. By being first-out-of-the-gate to integrate, SentiLink is continuing its streak of being first to market with eCBSV. If you're interested in learning more about the new data and how you can leverage eCBSV to prevent fraud and accurately verify the identity of more legitimate customers, get in touch!
