As Postal Reporter reported last week , the 3.6 million participants in the Thrift Savings Plan will begin using account numbers instead of Social Security numbers to access their retirement accounts.

According to Federal Times, “TSP administrators are switching to randomly generated account numbers to enhance security and protect participants’ Social Security numbers from being stolen, said Mark Hagerty, director of automated systems at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which oversees the TSP.

Participants currently enter their Social Security numbers and a four-digit personal identification number to access their accounts online. Converting everyone to account numbers instead of Social Security numbers is rather simple to do technically, Hagerty said. He said the more challenging task will be educating plan participants on the change before it’s put in place.”