"Access denied - Error 15" when attempting USAA "Get Access ID and PIN"

Alex S.

I haven't been able to connect to USAA in Quicken for over a month, receiving an OL-295A error every time and couldn't perform an account reset since I'd receive another error message saying the reset failed. I finally deactivated and then attempted to reactivate One Step Update and found the "Get Access ID and Pin" link. When I click it, however, I receive an "Access denied - Error 15" message that says "This request was blocked by the security rules." I'm military currently stationed overseas so I sometimes run into these issues where I have to select a server in a specific country through my VPN, but whether my VPN is connected or not and no matter which server in which country I try I get the same error.

Quicken Paloma

Hello @Alex S. 

Thank you for reaching out to Quicken Community. I apologize you are having difficulties connecting your account(s). Since you are getting an OL-295 error, I would recommend following the troubleshooting steps from the FAQ help article below. Also, could you let us know what connection method you are attempting to use (Express Web Connect or Direct Connect)?

https://www.quicken.com/support/error-when-using-online-services-ol-297

Once you get a chance to try those, please let us know how it goes so that we may give further guidance. 

-Quicken Paloma 

Alex S.

Thanks, Paloma, but I'm not getting an OL-295 error anymore. The above article didn't solve my issue with Direct Connect and neither did contacting USAA directly. As I mentioned above I also couldn't reset the accounts so I deactivated Direct Connect and attempted to reactivate it, which is when I discovered the "Get Access ID and Pin" process... which also doesn't work. That's where I'm getting the current error in the title of this post.

Quicken Paloma

Hello @Alex S, 

Thank you for the additional information, although I apologize you are still having this persisting issue. When getting an OL-295 error, turning the VPN off generally resolved the issue since it tends to cause issues with Quicken. However, if you are not in Canada or the US, it could also present a problem when attempting to reach the bank's servers through Direct Connect. This is ultimately an issue with the inability to reach the servers directly. For the time being, I recommend downloading the QFX file (if supported) from your bank to continue your financial management. Again I apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused. 

Hope this provides clarification. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. 

-Quicken Paloma 

Alex S.

Well I had no OL-295 error for the past 2 years I've been overseas, but again, I'm not getting an OL-295 error now because I deactivated Direct Connect for USAA and when I attempted to reactivate it, I get an error in my web browser when I click the "Get Access ID and Pin" link in Quicken. That error, "Access denied - Error 15" with a message that says "This request was blocked by the security rules" is the one I'm attempting to resolve.

Chris_QPW

Try this, first to make sure you are using Direct Connect, when you get to the Access ID dialog, click on the Advanced Option link and select Direct Connect -> Next.

Now in your web browser bring up this page:
https://df3cx-services.1fsapi.com/casm/usaa/enroll

This the URL that Get Access ID and Pin is trying to open.  Maybe if you open it directly in your web browser it will work.

And one other note, some financial institutions (maybe USAA) have been rejecting connections when the user is using VPN because they don't like the VPNs IP address.  Try without it if this fails.

Alex S.

Thanks, but I had already tried copy/pasting the URL as well. VPN on or off, same results. The error is now numbered Error 16 but the message is the same ("This request was blocked by the security rules.")

Quicken Francisco

Hello @Alex S.

Thank you for reaching out to the Community regarding your issue, though I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing this.

With the behavior you're experiencing and this being direct connect I'd recommend getting in contact with USAA to see if we might be able to get more information on what exactly is. I'll leave their information down below so you can find a time that works best to contact them.

https://www.usaa.com/help/contact?akredirect=true

Thanks,
Quicken Francisco

John St

Having same issue in Italy. All other finacial institutions seem to be working fine (no error msgs) but trying to add USAA account results in Error 16. Only trying to add account because I was directed to deactivate existing accounts. Was using Express Web Connect for years but just recently visiting Italy. Worked fine in Germany, Spain, etc.

Chris_QPW

John St said:

Having same issue in Italy. All other finacial institutions seem to be working fine (no error msgs) but trying to add USAA account results in Error 16. Only trying to add account because I was directed to deactivate existing accounts. Was using Express Web Connect for years but just recently visiting Italy. Worked fine in Germany, Spain, etc.

It has been reported before that USAA blocks IP addresses from what is considers "foreign".
This has come up with people using VPNs that make it look like their IP addresses come from somewhere else other than the computer's IP address, which is in fact in the US.  So it isn't surprising that that opposite might be needed.  As in if your IP address is in fact in a foreign country you might have to use a VPN service that will give the connection one that is in the US.

Why any given country's IP address would be rejected would be entirely up to what USAA has decided for some reason.  The overall reason of course is they are trying to weed out hackers from foreign countries, but the details of what to block or not is up to them.

EDIT and yeah clearly this "security measure" isn't really effective, and probably causes more problems than it prevents, but you try telling that to any "security expert", which are really just going off of come old list they have been told to follow.

Alex S.

RESOLUTION: If you're outside the US, the only workaround is to have someone log in for you from within the US. Send them the URL that Quicken displays for the access ID and PIN, pass them your login information, and then after they log in to USAA input what they get into Quicken. You'll still need to use a VPN set to a US server when you update Quicken.