USA SMS 2-Factor Authentication

Two US Banks, Citi & Chase will call or SMS me on my Philippine Cell Phone for authorization. Bank of America has a third option emailing you the code.

It's been some while, but I believe I could not enter my Philippine number online and had to call them.

Two US Banks, Citi & Chase will call or SMS me on my Philippine Cell Phone for authorization. Bank of America has a third option emailing you the code.
It's been some while, but I believe I could not enter my Philippine number online and had to call them. - @Enzyte Bob

Calling the bank to have them input a Philippine phone number is a new option I never tried. Their softwares would not let me enter a Philippine number; it had to be USA number format. However, I never did try calling them.

Emailing the codes was never given to me as an option. My bank will not even work with their android app with a Philippines IP address so I get a VPN set for USA. I assumed based on that they wanted only a USA number to text by SMS the code.

Using the https web address on my laptop for online banking does accept a Philippine IP address but still has been subject to 2FA to a USA phone number. Thanks.

What happened when you put in a VOIP number? Did it detect and reject that number out right or you just never got an SMS on it after adding it?

What happened when you put in a VOIP number? Did it detect and reject that number out right or you just never got an SMS on it after adding it? - @Jameelur

never got SMS otp code when using magicJack VoIP. still works on google voice VoIP i believe.

Jameelur asked . . . .What happened when you put in a VOIP number? Did it detect and reject that number out right or you just never got an SMS on it after adding it?

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danfinn replied . . . . never got SMS otp code when using magicJack VoIP. still works on google voice VoIP i believe.

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I use Ooma Telo v.o.i.p. for years starting in the states to replace my landline. I still use it now calling the states with my old US telephone number.

At first I was able to received voice authorization login pass codes, but not sms. Eventually the banks caught on, so never received those phone calls in the future.

My work-a-rounds: I called the problematic banks and two of them change the phone numbers to my Philippine phone number for sms codes.

Bank of America on their website "choose another way" and I opted for email for receiving the code.

For another I call them and through automated their menu I can check my balances & payments due. They recognize my v.o.i.p. number when calling them, but for nothing else.

Jameelur asked . . . .What happened when you put in a VOIP number? Did it detect and reject that number out right or you just never got an SMS on it after adding it?
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danfinn replied . . . .  never got SMS otp code when using magicJack VoIP. still works on google voice VoIP i believe.

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I use Ooma Telo v.o.i.p. for years starting in the states to replace my landline. I still use it now calling the states with my old US telephone number.
At first I was able to received voice authorization login pass codes, but not sms. Eventually the banks caught on, so never received those phone calls in the future.

My work-a-rounds: I called the problematic banks and two of them change the phone numbers to my Philippine phone number for sms codes.

Bank of America on their website "choose another way" and I opted for email for receiving the code.

For another I call them and through automated their menu I can check my balances & payments due. They recognize my v.o.i.p. number when calling them, but for nothing else. - @Enzyte Bob

Once, earlier this year, I investigated with AI as to why magicjack VOIP didn't work but our 2 Google Voice VOIP numbers did work. It came back with a reasonable response; the banking algorithms supposedly considered Google voice to be very secure because of the good security Google has to stop hackers from breaking in to your account. Magicjack on the other hand was not considered to be very secure. But AI being AI, sometimes it gives you BS answers. On our last trip to the states I installed a Google Fi esim which is not voip and runs off the cell networks and problem solved for all SMS. I was concerned Google voice might stop working at any time but both numbers still seem to be working today. The strange thing is that one of my GV numbers was based on my my magicjack number, which was originally based on my ooma landline voip in 2016, which was based on our southern bell number. My wife's GV was based on a t-mobile.prepaid cell number purchased for the trip in 2024. But for reliability, the Google Fi is what we use today so SMS OTP is not a problem. I like Bob's idea of contacting them to use a Philippine number but I am wary of so directly informing my credit union that we are overseas; recently they updated their mobile and web apps to reject a foreign IP addresses. Right now, we can still access it using a VPN if the server is located in the same state as the CU. However, that is not reliable. We may need to change credit unions to one that is more expat friendly in the future and they do exist and want your business, like Alliant. When I couldn't access my current CU their IT dept. told me to use a VPN which I did but which may even violate their TOS. But it works, for now. Still, I set up auto pay for all monthly deductions and alerts for transactions and balances by email plus telephone banking for transfers and I can essentially go retro-digital and not need the app. However, I don't like their becoming expat unfriendly and I may ditch them in the near future.