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I just got one too. I thought it might be spam so I googled. It is apparently true and going to happen. I told my husband to pop some corn and sit back and see what came out in the wash. Boggleheads was talking about it yesterday: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=196278
My husband refuses to text and wants just a dumb cell phone. I told him that I think the generation still working isn't going to sympathize. BoA gives a choice between phone or email. I can't understand why email delivery of the code wasn't built into SSA.
It's actually mobile carriers who don't sympathize.
AT&T will shut down their legacy mobile network this fall and subscribers still using old style cell phones will all be forced to upgrade their phones.
I reckon other carriers will follow the same approach.
We finally gave in and got so called smart phones (and we are relatively young - 1st wave Xers).
I was surprised when I saw this because a lot of seniors I know don't have cellphones or, the ones that do, have phones you buy minutes for. If they don't have the money for the current month, they don't purchase minutes; but, every time they don't purchase minutes their numbers get changed.
TracFone has phones at Walmart for $9.99. Minute cards (also at Walmart, or numerous other stores) can be bought for $19.99 for 3 months. If you cannot afford the $19.99, your minutes run out until you renew with another card. Your phone number will NOT change. And all TracFones can receive texts.
This is not the same thing as having to buy a $6-800 iPhone 6 and signing up for a $100+ monthly plan. You do not need a "smart phone". All modern "dumb phones" now do texting. Having a small, cheap phone with you when in the car or out walking, could be very handy. They weigh next to nothing.
I just went online and contacted AARP (since I could not find a way to complain to the Social Security office) to see if they can make our voices heard. If enough people take the time to email AARP, perhaps they can tell us how to complain to Social Security or set up something so that they can let Social Security know how this new rule impacts so many senior citizens.
FYI, you don't have to be a member of AARP to email them with a question. I used the "other" category to submit a question to see if they could help us to get our complaint about this new rule heard.
I should not be required to buy and use a cell phone to access a government site when I otherwise do not need a cell phone. There have got to be other ways such as via a landline to receive this information.
I have not read the site, but I am fairly certain that somewhere on the site it will say... if you don't have a cell phone, you can...
From what I known of seniors on fixed income, this idea is a horrible FAIL.
I don't know a single person over 65 who TEXTS. AT ALL.
My mom does.
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