The present invention seeks to minimize, reduce and/or eliminate credit fraud, identity theft and erroneous the incurrence of charges. The present invention allows individuals and/or entities to passively authenticate credit/banking access in real-time. The present invention also provides means for reducing the economic loss associated with credit fraud, identity theft and erroneous and/or unauthorized transactions.
Modern banking relies heavily upon electronic transactions. This has only increased with the advances in electronic commerce (e-commerce). E-commerce alone has been projected to grow at a high rate and this will have a significant impact on the financial industry. At an ever-increasing rate, individuals and entities access their bank accounts electronically, typically via the internet or by other remote means including but not limited to automated teller machines (ATM). Similarly, individuals and entities conduct financial transactions electronically, typically over the internet or by other remote means. With the increase in electronic transactions and dependence of computerized methodology, there has been and continues to be an ever increasing problem of credit fraud, identity theft and erroneous charging, each of which can have dramatic adverse effects on the affected party. Also, use of ATM machines particularly those not associated directly with the ATM card issuing entity, are susceptible to fraud and theft of financial-related data. It has been recently indicated that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States.
Common electronic transactions include, inter alia, credit card purchases. These credit card purchases include, but not limited to, electronic checks, check cards, ATM cards, bank cards, credit cards, gift certificate cards, and accounts administered over the Internet each of which can be at point of sale (POS) locations, telephonic, e-commerce such as online purchasing. Common electronic transactions also include credit inquiries such as those performed in advance of automobile financing, mortgages, credit card issuance, credit line issuance, debit card issuance, and the like. Further, common electronic transactions include use of so-called speed passes (passive or active transmission devices linked to a credit card or other account, examples of which include the MobileOil SpeedPass™, EZPass, cell phones, or similar devices) the uses of which is ever-increasing. Even further common electronic transactions can include electronic transfers of finds from one entity to another, and any other financial transaction conducted by electronic means and/or method. In the context of this invention, the phrase “credit card” is intended to encompass each of the forgoing devices unless otherwise indicated.
Credit cards, electronic checks, ATM cards, cash cards, gift cards, passive devices (such as speed passes), debit cards and check cards in particular have gained an expanded role in business, especially with the advent of e-commerce. Now, not only are these means accepted when presented in person at a store of a member merchant, but also in the total absence of a brick and mortar member merchant, the device or the person representing himself to be an authorized user. The vastly enhanced flexibility of use has come at a cost of increased credit fraud. A recent Post-ABC News poll revealed that 22% of the 1001 randomly sampled individuals had experienced some form of credit theft and misuse. The threat of fine and imprisonment is not always a sufficient deterrent to prevent fraud, and there has been a disproportionate increase in abuse against sales volume. To deter abuse, a number of anti-fraud initiatives have been instituted by credit card processors (i.e., Visa, Discover, American Express, MasterCard), fiduciary institutions (i.e., banks, credit unions, large vendors, governmental entities), and organizations that serve the fiduciary institutions and processors (i.e., telephone companies, software companies, computer manufacturers, secure service encryption providers).
By way of example, credit card companies have invested heavily in the minimization, reduction and prevention of credit card fraud, identity theft and erroneous transactions. Typical methods include the use of computer programs that monitor credit card activity for “atypical” usage. Such atypical usage can include, inter alia, increased purchasing, and unusual purchasing patterns (including amounts charged, frequency of charges, locations of charges, types of charges, etc.). Once an atypical pattern is observed, a credit warning is issued, typically by telephone to the credit card holder to confirm that the observed activity was intended by the credit card holder. Often the credit issuing institution will temporarily halt all activity on the credit card until such time that the credit card holder verifies the activity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,056 to Justice et al. discloses examples of such risk assessment methods.
Corporate and individual clients of banks and other financial institutions have traditionally accessed the electronic cash management systems of their banks by phone, fax, or dumb terminal at the low end of the service spectrum, and by SunOS™, Linux™, AIX™, UNIX, Microsoft Windows™, MacOS™ or DOS-based workstations at the high end. Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of banking on the World Wide Web, as more and more businesses and individuals are recognizing the benefits of performing online transactions over the ever-growing Internet. With the recent explosion in e-commerce, the increasing acceptance of the Internet as a less expensive and more efficient way of doing business, and the advent of new server technology and sophisticated online security systems, online banking by both businesses and individuals is becoming ever more common. Banks desiring to stay competitive must therefore provide to their client's internet-based electronic cash management (ECM) services. According to a 1997 research study, most banks predicted that within a year they would be providing browser-based electronic banking services to their corporate and institutional clients. Despite the increased customer demand for such services, less than 2% of banking services were provided via a web browser, according to research in 1999. It has been predicted that by 2005, electronic transaction-based cash management revenue will reach $12.8 billion.
In the case of individuals, each of these transactions, inquiries, transfers or other electronic activity is typically linked to a Unique Identifier (UI) for each person or entity. In the United States, a common UI for an individual is that individual's social security number. For U.S. businesses, the UI is typically a tax identification number (e.g., TID, EIN or similar). However, any UI is intended to be encompassed by the present invention including, inter alia, an account number, customer number or similar individual identifier/code. The term “individual” as contemplated in the present invention is intended to include, without limitation, persons, corporations, partnerships, customers, end users, or any other legal entity.
With the increase in reliance upon electronic and computer-based transactions has come an increase in credit fraud, identity theft and erroneous credit charges, often resulting in significant economic loss for the creditor/banking institution and inconvenience and or economic loss for the party whose credit has been adversely affected.
An individual's credit/financial information is typically accessed by the fraudulent user by any of a number of different ways. For example, an individual's credit/information can be accessed by illegally accessing such information by hacking into the electronic networks employed for the transmission of such data. Such “hacking” can be as benign as so-called “social hacking”—accessing an unprotected wireless network by simply being within range of the signal. Additionally, individuals' credit/financial information can be accessed by the improper application for credit (by theft of SSN and other information followed by illegal application, theft of mailed applications, etc.). Once an initial theft has occurred, it is quite common for the fraudulent party to incur numerous charges, apply for additional credit in the fraud victim's name, access the victim's bank accounts and the like. Erroneous transactions typically occur by the mistaken entry of the wrong individual's account/credit information or by multiple entry of the same transaction.
Typically, such individuals have no knowledge of fraudulent, erroneous or unauthorized credit access or usage, theft of financial information, and/or, without limitation, the opening of false accounts in the individual's name, until the damage has been done and their credit has been significantly and adversely impacted.
In general, the cost of implementation of anti-fraud initiatives has been borne by the member merchants, small businesses, and individual authorized users. The member merchants have had to install much more sophisticated encryption transaction devices to confirm a sufficiency of credit in the card account, and update the member merchant of his own credit status. The encrypted communication prevents accidental disclosure of the details of the transaction to a potentially felonious, or otherwise interested, party. Authorized Users, whether individuals or businesses, have to provide more detailed personal and financial information, which can result in the very real perception in an unacceptable level of personal invasion of privacy, at a questionable level of overall reduced fraud.
The most common security measure to reduce fraud for a credit card is for a merchant to compare the signature of the customer to the signature on the back of the credit card. The merchant must then determine if the signatures “match” and decide if customer is the authorized user of the credit card. This visual authorization creates numerous problems for the merchant and the customer. The merchant is required to make a personal judgment as to whether the signatures match, and this personal judgment is influenced by the pressure to make a sale and retain good will in the community. In fact, most merchants, due to either time constraints or a desire to make sales goals, do not even look at the customer's signature at time of purchase. Furthermore, this method of matching signatures does not apply to purchases made by mail order, telephone, internet, and the like.
Another type of security measure to reduce fraud is the verification of the billing address of the credit card holder. The purchaser is required to enter his billing address along with his credit card information through the remote terminal. When the credit card purchase information is presented to the financial institution who issued the card, the institution compares the correct billing address with the purchaser's billing address to ensure they match. However, a thief who steals an individual's physical wallet will have access to their billing address and a thief who steals transaction information on-line may have access to the credit card holder's billing address. Therefore, address verification systems have not been successful in eliminating fraud.
A representative example of an invention designed to cut down on fraud is U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,413 to Tetro et al., disclose a method, wherein it is asserted that transactions are made more secure by checking the card account number against the user's social security number. The account number and the social security number, which are already in the bank's database, are kept in yet one more database, so that the two can be compared. Kevin Rowney et al, of VeriPhone, discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,140 an invention illustrative of a system having enhanced security using encrypted communication through “a plurality of computer systems” between the merchant, the customer and the requisite number of middlemen. The underlying theme of these anti-fraud initiatives is that the problem can be controlled with increasingly more robust security measures, where security measures involve a greater invasion of the cardholder's privacy to accomplish their goal. A necessary corollary to enhanced security is increased knowledge of the user. By contrast, a working caveat for the smooth flow of business is to keep any measure simple and cost effective. An extension of the historical approach tends to hurt business and raise privacy concerns, especially if the card issuer must bare responsibility for protecting the privacy of the protected information.
A resource for reducing fraud that has been generally overlooked is the potential contribution of the credit card account holder. An exception to that is Robert Checchio's U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,675, assigned to AT&T, Corporation. Checchio describes a method wherein, prior to a purchase, the card holder notifies a member association having a database processor, that he is going to make a purchase at X time for Y dollars from Z merchant. Then, when he actually makes the purchase, he just presents his card to the merchant, who contacts the member association for confirmation. While no doubt the foregoing method ought to reduce fraud, it is cumbersome and unpractical for general utility. Additionally, if for some reason the item had to be returned or was on backorder, then the transaction becomes much more complex. From the merchant's perspective, it would probably also require joining an additional member association. Finally, impulse buying is reduced or eliminated due to the cumbersome nature of the methodology and would negatively impact sales.
An ideal method of reducing fraud includes real-time, passive authentification to find if the person who requests the financial transaction, purchase, credit history access, or the like, is the person associated with the account. A representative example of an invention designed to cut down on fraud is U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,762 to Piotrowski, which discloses a method of using voice verification to authenticate a credit card user's identity. The verification system is located at the POS device and would verify identity before the transaction is approved. However, factors such as background noise, poor quality microphones, and inaccuracies of voice recognition software makes this invention difficult to enable.
To attract consumer, merchants and credit card issuers offer consumer's fast and convenient services such as cashless payment systems. These payment systems speed up financial transaction by use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for data transfer. Of late, companies are increasingly embodying RFID data acquisition technology in a fob, tag or other similar form factor for use in completing financial transactions. One example is the Mobil Speedpass™, where the merchant issues the consumer a RFID tag that identifies the consumer by an ID number. When the customer pulls up to the gas pump, the RFID tag is interrogated to receive the ID number of the tag. The ID number is sent via satellite to a host computer, which authenticates the tag. The consumer then receives gas, and the host computer charges the purchase amount to the consumer's credit card. A typical RFID tag or fob includes a transponder and is ordinarily a self-contained device, which may be contained on any portable form factor. In some instances, a battery may be included with the fob to power the transponder, in which case, the internal circuitry of the fob (including the transponder) may draw its operating power from the battery power source. Alternatively, the fob may exist independent of an internal power source. In this instance, the internal circuitry of the fob (including the transponder) may gain its operating power directly from a RF interrogation signal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,774, issued to Schuermann, describes a typical transponder RF interrogation system, which may be found in the prior art. The Schuermann patent describes in general the powering technology surrounding conventional transponder structures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,328, issued to Koelle, et al., discusses a method by which a conventional transponder may respond to a RF interrogation signal. Other typical modulation techniques, which may be used, include, for example, ISO/IEC 14443 and the like.
Obviously, the methods to prevent fraud are not effective. The present invention provides a means for reducing credit fraud by having the consumer passively authenticate financial transaction. A method where the authorizes user participates in the administration of his credit and banking accounts is preferred and would provide significant security for the end user as well as the lending/issuing/banking institution. Additionally, the present invention provides a means for reducing the risk to the lending/credit institution.
The technology of electronic commerce has adopted a number of terms that are helpful to define to better understand the prior art and the invention. A short glossary of such terms follows:
Acquirer—The financial institution (or an agent of the financial institution) that receives from the merchant the financial data relating to a transaction authorizes the transaction, obtains the funds from the issuer, and pays those funds into a merchant financial account. The acquiring institution can act as its own merchant certificate authority (MCA) or can contract with a third party for service.
Authentication—In computer security, the process used to verify the identity of a user or the user's eligibility to access an object; verification that a message has not been altered or corrupted; a process used to verify the user of an information system or protected resources.
Authorization—In payment card systems, the process used to verify that a credit or debit account is valid and holds sufficient credit or funds to cover a particular payment. Authorization is performed before goods or services are provided, in order to ensure that the cardholder credit can support payment.
Bank—a depository financial institution that provides services relating to the storing of money and extending of credit. A bank may handle checking and savings accounts and deal in negotiable instruments.
Browser—A computer program that allows a user to read hypertext messages such as HTML pages on the World Wide Web.
Capture—In payment card systems, the process used by a merchant to claim payment from an issuing bank via an acquiring bank. Capture is performed after goods and services are provided. Optionally, capture may be combined with authorization in the case where goods or services are provided at the time of authorization.
Cardholder—A person who has a valid payment card account and uses software that supports electronic commerce. Also known as a shopper, online shopper, consumer, or buyer.
Certificate—A document issued by a trusted party that serves as physical evidence of the identity and privileges of the holder. Usually used as synonymous with an electronic certificate or digital certificate since an actual document is of little value in a world of electronic commerce.
Certificate authority (CA)—an organization that issues certificates. The CA responds to the actions of a Registration Authority (RA) and issues new certificates, manages existing certificates, renews existing certificates, and revokes certificates belonging to users who are no longer authorized to use them.
Certificate chain—a hierarchy of trusted digital certificates that can be “chained” or authenticated back to the “chain's” ultimate trust level—the top of the hierarchy called the “root certificate.”
Credit holder—A person or entity who has a valid credit dossier. Also known as a shopper, online shopper, consumer, or buyer.
Digital certificate—An electronic document digitally signed by a trusted party. The digital certificate binds a person's or entity's unique name to a public/private key pair.
Digital signature—Data that is appended to, or is a cryptographic transformation of, a data unit. Digital signature enables the recipient of the data unit to verify the source and integrity of the unit and to recognize potential forgery.
Digital wallet or Consumer wallet—Software that works like a physical wallet during electronic commerce transactions. A wallet can hold a user's payment information, a digital certificate to identify the user, and shipping information to speed transactions. The consumer benefits because his or her payment information is handled securely and because some wallets will automatically input shipping information at the merchant's site and will give the consumer the option of paying by digital cash or check. Merchants benefit by receiving protection against fraud. The wallet is used to protect and store credit/debit information, protect the transmission of that information to only the people that are authorized to see it and to authenticate the cardholder.
Issuer—a financial institution that issues payment cards to individuals. An issuer can act as its own cardholder certificate authority (CCA) or can contract with a third party for the service.
Key pair—In computer security, a matched set of public and private keys. When used for encryption, the sender uses the public key half to encrypt the message, and the recipient uses the private key half to decrypt the message. When used for signing, the signer uses the private key half to sign a message, and the recipient uses the public key half to verify the signature.
Merchant server—a Web server that offers cataloged shopping services. The equivalent to a physical store.
Password—For computer or network security, a specific string of characters entered by a user and authenticated by the system in determining the user's privileges, if any, to access and manipulate the data and operations of the system.
Payment card—a credit card or debit card that is issued by a financial institution and shows a relationship between the cardholder and the financial institution.
Registration authority (RA)—An organization or person authorized or licensed to authenticate a certificate requestor's identity and the services that the requester is then authorized to use. The RA approves requests so that certificates can be issued, renewed, updated, or revoked by a CA. The RA is usually a credit officer of an issuing or acquiring bank and approves the certificate requests for its members.
Secure Sockets Layer—A security protocol that allows the client to authenticate the server and all data and requests to be encrypted. SSL offers a very limited trust model and a secure link between client and server.
Thin wallet—generally the digital wallet program resides on the user's PC, but a “thin” wallet places some of the wallet function on a server, thereby reducing the program size on the user's PC and enabling an easier modification of the wallet's features.
Trusted Root—the base or top level certificate that provides the basis for the trusted hierarchy.
The so-called SET Secure Electronic Transaction™ (trademark and service mark owned by SET Secure Electronic Transaction LLC) protocol has been developed as a means of increasing the security of bankcard transactions over public networks. SET is an open standard, multi-party protocol for conducting secure payments over the Internet. SET provides message integrity, authentication of all financial data, and encryption of sensitive data.
The SET protocol is a 4-party protocol involving a cardholding consumer, a merchant, and a payment gateway operating on behalf of the acquiring bank, as shown in
Some implementers of SET are providing “thin” wallets, where all or some of the wallet function are implemented in server systems rather than in consumer-controlled machines. Where the wallet servers are run by issuing banks, it would be desirable to have the wallet servers directly authorize transactions before they are submitted to merchants. This would save the time and complexity required when the merchants obtain authorization from issuers through the merchant's acquiring banks. It would also be desirable to expand the cardholder authentication methods supported by the SET protocol, to enable an issuer to independently choose alternate authentication mechanisms without changing the acquirer gateway. As with any system, it would also be desirable to simplify the SET protocol in order to enable its easier implementation and to improve its overall performance. It would also be desirable to provide a generally applicable method of reducing credit fraud, identity theft and erroneous and/or unauthorized transactions.
Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein includes a method, system, program, and method of doing business for banking/credit transactions including, inter alia, credit card point of sale (“POS”) purchases, e-commerce, credit issuance and credit inquiries, which minimize or eliminate credit and identity theft. The term POS transactions is intended to encompass, without limitation, in-store credit card transactions, electronic check transactions, telephone transactions, ATM transactions, and credit history/record access. One embodiment of the current invention utilizes a Unique Identifier (“UI”) to identify the individual. The UI can be, for example, a social security number, EIN or TID used for banking, credit and/or taxation purposes. In summary, this embodiment utilizes the UI to track all credit card purchases, debit card purchases, banking card purchases, banking transactions, credit inquiries, credit issuance and like transactions and provides for notifying the individual of each credit/financial information related event. The current invention also utilizes a readable electronic tag, issued by the bank, merchant, credit issuer to the customer or purchased by the consumer himself. Anytime account or information that is linked to the UI is accessed, such as in a credit card purchase or credit check, the customer's readable electronic tag, otherwise known as an authorization device, must be present for the access to be approved.
It is therefore an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a passive authentication system whereby credit fraud is reduced and/or eliminated.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentication system whereby banking fraud is reduced or eliminated.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentication system whereby identity theft is reduced or eliminated.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentication system whereby the effects of erroneous financial transactions is reduced or eliminated.
In one embodiment, the passive authentication occurs at every transaction. In another embodiment, the passive authentication occurs when a pre-set parameter is met. The pre-set parameter can be, for example, a monetary limit or a type of merchant.
Another object certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentication system whereby the individuals' readable electronic tag is present for the approval applications for credit.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentication system whereby the individuals' readable electronic tag is present for approval of credit inquiries.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentification system whereby the individuals' readable electronic tag is present for approval of access to an individual's financial information.
Another object of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a passive authentification system whereby the individuals' readable electronic tag is present for approval of usage of an individual's financial information.
Other objects of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art from the disclosure contained herein.
Another object of a preferred embodiment of the invention is to provide a passive authentification system whereby the individuals' readable electronic tag is present for approval of credit/banking information access.
The instant invention can be implemented at any stage of the transaction prior to access being granted to the end user's financial information or credit-related information/accounts.
If privacy is desired, the methods and systems of the present invention can include a means for protecting the transmitted information such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or other encryption/security protocol. The credit card can be used to transmit two way encryption in any way, including for example, the encryption in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,671,810 and 6,084,969.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to these embodiments.
In
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It is contemplated in less preferred embodiments that the access server (1210) processes the request and computes the response without use of the access processing server (1211). In one embodiment, the access server requests information directly from the data store (1212) through a sixth communication line (1204). The data store processes the request and responds using a seventh communication line (1205). The access processing server processes the response and outputs a response message using a fifth communication line (1220).
It is contemplated in less preferred embodiments that the access server (1330, 1330′) processes the request and computes the response without use of the access processing server (1311, 1311′). In this embodiment, the access server requests information directly from the data store (1312, 1312′) through a sixth communication line (1304, 1304′). The data store processes the request and responds using a seventh communication line (1305, 1305′). The access processing server processes the response and outputs a response message using a fifth communication line (1320).
In the preferred embodiment, the data stores (1312, 1312′) are realized in a single data store. However, it is contemplated in a less preferred embodiment to use a redundant set of data stores.
In the preferred embodiment, the output response message is sent from the access server (1330, 1330′). However, it is contemplated in a less preferred embodiment for the output response message to be sent from the access gateway server (1310). In this embodiment, the access server (1330, 1330′) sends the response message to the access gateway server (1310) using a ninth communication line (1341, 1341′). The access gateway server process the response message and sends an output response using the fifth communication line (1320).
Although
It is contemplated that in one embodiments that the access server (1430, 1430′) processes the request and computes the response without use of the access processing server (1411, 1411′). In this embodiment, the access server requests information directly from the data store (1412, 1412′) through a sixth communication line (1404, 1404′). The data store processes the request and responds using a seventh communication line (1405, 1405′). The access processing server processes the response and outputs a response message using a fifth communication line (1420).
In one preferred embodiment, the data stores (1412, 1412′) are realized in a single data store. However, it is contemplated in a less preferred embodiment to use a redundant set of data stores.
In one preferred embodiment, the output response message is sent from the access server (1430, 1430′). However, it is contemplated in another embodiment for the output response message to be sent from the access gateway router (1410). In this embodiment, the access server (1430, 1430′) sends the response message to the access gateway server (1410) using a ninth communication line (1441, 1441′). The access gateway server process the response message and sends an output response using the fifth communication line (1420).
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It if further contemplated that the data store mentioned in any of the previous embodiments may be a single database residing on a single server, multiple databases residing on a single data store, or a distributed database residing on a plurality of servers. In addition, in a less preferred embodiment, the data store may reside on the access server or the access processing server. In addition, in a less preferred embodiment, the data store may reside on the access server or the access processing server. Furthermore, it is envisioned that one or more datastore will be at the same location or remote from one another.
It is also contemplated that the communication lines mentioned in any of the previous embodiments may use an Internet, intranet, extranet, WAN, LAN, satellite communication, cellular phone communications, communications on a motherboard, and the like. It is also contemplated that the message processing provided at the ends of the communication lines mentioned in the previous embodiments may include direct network communications using a communication protocol such as TCP/IP, IPX, RFC 793, or another standard or proprietary communication protocol. Furthermore, it is envisioned that the communication lines may communicate between electrical devices, databases, computers, and the like, which are located in different countries. Furthermore, the message processing may include simple message communications, remote procedure calls or other distributed application messages, Web Messaging, Web Services, MSMQ, MQ Series, XML messages, file transfers, or the like.
It should be appreciated that the particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, conventional data networking, application development and other functional aspects of the systems (and components of the individual operating components of the systems) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various entities. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical electronic transaction or transmission.
It is contemplated that in some embodiments, steps will be accomplished outside of U.S. territory. Thus, the inventors fully contemplate claims wherein a signal is sent out of or into U.S. territory. This signal is considered to be part of the invented subject matter, as is this signal's further manipulation to achieve one or more objects of the invention set forth above.
It should also be appreciated that the transmission of the authorization information from the authorizing device can occur by any electronic means, including but limited to RFID, satellite communication, cellular phone communications, and the like. IN one preferred embodiment, the electronic means occurs by RFID. RFID tags come in various shapes, sizes and read ranges including thin and flexible “smart labels” which can be laminated between paper or plastic. RFID creates an automatic way to collect information about a product, place, time or transaction quickly, easily and without human error. It provides a contactless data link, without need for line of sight or concerns about harsh or dirty environments that restrict other automatic ID technologies such as bar codes. In addition, RFID is more than just an ID code, it can be used as a data carrier, with information being written to and updated on the tag easily. Examples of RFID tags can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,851,617, 5,682,143, 4,654,658, 4,730,188 and 4,724,427.
It should also be appreciated that the transmission of the authorization information from the authorization device can occur by manual entry. It is contemplated that the authorization device displays an number or password that changes periodically, such as, for example, SecurID™. The device is synched to a database held by a thrid party provider, bank, or other authentication entity. The benefit of such authorization device is even a thief gets one's number or password, the change in number or password results in disabling the thief from using the number or password.
It should be appreciated that the network described herein may include any system for exchanging data or transacting business, such as Internet, intranet, extranet, WAN, LAN, satellite communication, cellular phone communications, and the like. Further, the communications between entities concerning the transaction or access request can occur by any mechanism, including but not limited to, Internet, intranet, extranet, WAN, LAN, point of interaction device (point of sale device, personal digital assistant, cellular phone, kiosk, etc.), online communication, off line communication, and wireless connection. The present invention might further employ any number of conventional techniques for data transmission, signaling, data processing, network control, and the like. For example, radio frequency and other wireless techniques can be used in place of any network technique described herein.
It is further contemplated that a third party vendor or service may be involved with the transaction, access and/or action chain in any of the embodiments, where the third party vendor or service tracks any activity associated with the person or corporation with the unique identifier, compares the authorization information to the transaction information, and notifies any person along the chain of the transaction. It is contemplated that notification of such response will result in approval or rejection of the transaction, access request, or action request.
It is contemplated that the merchant's bank may be the same bank as the credit card issuer's bank. It is further contemplated that communications can occur sequentially, in parallel, or that two or more communications may be sent as one communication.
In each of the above embodiments, the different, specific embodiments of invention to prevent fraudulent credit card transactions are disclosed. However, it is the full intent of the inventor of the present invention that the specific aspects of each embodiment described herein may be combined with the other embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modification of the preferred embodiments can be configured without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention may be practiced other than that specifically described therein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 60/727,494, filed Oct. 18, 2005.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60727494 | Oct 2005 | US |