Subscribers traditionally use the telephone user interface (TUI) to access their mailboxes. Messaging uses the mailbox ID and password that the caller provides. Password security requires subscribers to press the pound key (#) after entering their passwords to access their mailboxes. If subscribers do not press the pound key (#), the system pauses before allowing mailbox access. The system can wait for the subscriber to press the pound key (#) or give the subscriber immediate mailbox access after a successful password entry.