JailATM is one of the most popular services providers used by the family members and friends of inmates to communicate with their loved ones who are currently behind bars. One of its most popular services is making deposits. When making a deposit to the account of their loved one, they are usually asked for their Social Security Number or SSN. Why does JailATM ask for such a thing?
Social Security Number Overview
Social Security Number, which is more known as SSN in short, is counted as a unique identifier. It consists of a nine-digit number. This is issued by an independent agency of the United States government called Social Security Administration or SSA to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and eligible non-immigrant workers in the United States. This number can be obtained by applying on Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Number Card. At first, it was designed to track the individuals. However, it now has been widely used as a national identification number for taxation and some other purposes.
Reason Why JailATM Needs Your Social Security Number
For anyone who is wondering why your Social Security Number or SSN is required on the account when making a deposit to a resident, according to the official website of JailATM, the answer is to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Bank Secrecy Act or Anti-Money Laundering Act Overview
In case you are not familiar with the Bank Secrecy Act or BSA, it refers to the United States anti-money laundering law. This one applies to financial institutions. It aims to prevent secret banking activities outside the country from happening. Besides, it also provides an audit trail by not only recordkeeping requirements for financial institutions but also by establishing regulatory reporting.
Other Questions and Answers about Deposits
Apart from the question and answer about the Social Security Number or SSN, there are some other deposit-related ones that you may want to know, such as:
1. Q: What are the accepted payment methods?
A: Visa and MasterCard are the cards that are accepted. While it is also possible for the other cards to work, it is not recommended to use them. It should be remembered that prepaid cards are not supported.
2. Q: How much does it cost to make a deposit?
A: The fee to make a deposit may be different, depending on the facility. You will be shown with the fee after looking for the resident that you are making the deposit to. Before the process of transaction starts, you will be asked to confirm the total amount.
3. Q: How to make a deposit?
A: It is really easy to make a deposit in JailATM. Firstly, sign in to your account. After signing in, choose Send Money Now. Then, choose the appropriate state and facility. Next, enter at least 3 characters of the last name or the ID of the resident. Aside from that, you should also enter your payment information and the amount of deposit that you want to make. Do not forget to read the terms and conditions, click the check box, and press the OK button. Finally, click Send Money after reviewing the payment details.
4. Q: What if the resident is transferred to another facility or is released?
A: –
5. Q: Where to find your deposit?
A: As stated on the official website of JailATM, it will usually take about 24 hours to 48 hours for the deposits to arrive. Do not wait and contact the facility right away if the deposit is missing after more than 48 hours. After getting the report, the facility will start the investigation. If the issue remains the same even after 72 business hours, JailATM will try to solve it.
6. Q: What if you made a deposit to an incorrect resident?
A: For anyone who made a deposit to a wrong resident, call the facility right away. Ask them to transfer the money to the right resident. You can try to ask them to place the deposit on hold and to refund it if they cannot complete your request. If it is also unlikely, go to JailATM’s website, select Contact Us, and submit a form.
7. Q: What if the transaction failed?
A: If the transaction is failed, the action that you can take varies, depending on the reason for the failed transaction. If it is due to bank declined, you can contact your financial institution to find out the cause of the failure. If it is because the card is invalid, choose the drop down Accepted Payment Methods to find a list of all accepted cards. If the reason for failure is due to the card that does not support the cash advance transaction type, you can call the number on the back of the card.
8. Q: What does the “Payer Authentication has failed” message mean?
A: If a message that says “Payer Authentication has failed” is seen on the screen when you try to complete a transaction, it means your transaction was declined because you failed to log in to your Verified by Visa/MasterCard SecureCode account. To successfully log in to your account, you are suggested to contact your card issuer or talk to the Verified by Visa/MasterCard SecureCode department.
9. Q: What if you made a duplicate deposit?
A: If you made a duplicate deposit, just call the facility the deposit was made to. When you are connected to the representative, ask them to place the deposit on hold. Not only that but you should also ask for a refund. In case the facility fails to grant your wish to hold the deposit and to refund it, go to the official website of JailATM, choose Contact Us, and complete the form. If the deposit was spent before you contact the facility, you should say goodbye to it as there is no way for it to be refunded.
10. Q: Can you make requests to refund deposits?
A: It is worth noting that all sales are final. It means there is no way for the deposit to be refunded.
11. Q: How to check the balance of the resident?
A: The balance of the resident is not something that can be shown to the public due to privacy issues and to protect the resident. If you want to know the balance of a resident, you are recommended to contact the facility.
12. Q: How to find deposit and charge history?
A: To find the deposit and charge history, you need to sign in first. Then, go to My Account and choose Deposit/Charge History.
13. Q: How to find a missing resident?
A: In order to find a resident on JailATM, you are advised to use four or more letters of their last name before clicking Search. In case the resident is still not found, reach out to the facility to find their resident ID. If the issue is related to the website, the facility will contact Tech Friends to solve the issue together.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, the reason why JailATM needs your Social Security Number or SSN is for compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act or Anti-Money Laundering Act. Basically, the purpose of these regulations is to prevent financial crimes, including money laundering and fraud.
