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Fraud prevention systems and methods for a price comparison system

  • US 10,467,645 B2
  • Filed: 05/30/2014
  • Issued: 11/05/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system comprising:

  • a sale terminal configured to generate user transaction data representing one or more historical transactions conducted by a user at the sale terminal;

    one or more processors; and

    one or more memory devices operably coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memory devices storing executable and operational code effective to cause the one or more processors and the one or more memory devices to operate as a savings module, a fraud detection module, a validation module, and a redemption module,wherein;

    the one or more memory devices store the user transaction data for the user, a return history for the user, and a network history of the user representing a history of electronic interactions of the user with a server system;

    the savings module is configured to, for a first transaction of the user, determine one or more price differences between prices paid for items of the first transaction and third party prices paid for the items;

    the fraud detection module is coupled to the savings module and configured to perform;

    receiving inputs including (a) the user transaction data, (b) the return history, and (c) the network history;

    determining whether a difference between recent shopping activity and historical shopping activity of the user indicates fraud based on the inputs, wherein the historical shopping activity is associated with a first time period that precedes a second time period associated with the recent shopping activity, wherein the determining whether the difference between the recent shopping activity and the historical shopping activity of the user indicates fraud further comprises;

    responsive to the inputs, determining that the historical shopping activity indicates a first frequency of purchase transactions during the first time period;

    determining that the recent shopping activity indicates a second frequency of purchase transactions during the second time period;

    evaluating whether a first difference between the second frequency of purchase transactions and the first frequency of purchase transactions exceeds a first threshold value, as defined by R1

    H1>

    T1, where R1 is the second frequency of purchase transactions, H1 is the first frequency of purchase transactions, and T1 is the first threshold value;

    responsive to the inputs, determining that the historical shopping activity indicates a first frequency of return transactions during the first time period;

    determining that the recent shopping activity indicates a second frequency of return transactions during the second time period;

    evaluating whether a second difference between the second frequency of return transactions and the first frequency of return transactions exceeds a second threshold value, as defined by R2

    H2>

    T2, where R2 is the second frequency of return transactions, H2 is the first frequency of return transactions, and T2 is the second threshold value;

    determining that the historical shopping activity indicates purchases among a first plurality of categories;

    determining that the recent shopping activity indicates purchases among at least one second category;

    evaluating whether the at least one second category belongs to one of the first plurality of categories;

    determining that the historical shopping activity indicates online activity during the first time period from at least one of a first device, a first browser type, or a first internet protocol address;

    determining that the recent shopping activity indicates online activity during the second time period from at least one of a second device, a second browser type, or a second internet protocol address;

    evaluating a third difference between (i) the first device, the first browser type, or the first internet protocol address and (ii) the second device, the second browser type, or the second internet protocol address;

    determining that the historical shopping activity indicates a first average credit per transaction during the first time period based on third party pricing data;

    determining that the recent shopping activity indicates a second average credit per transaction during the second time period based on the third party pricing data; and

    evaluating whether a fourth difference between the second average credit per transaction and the first average credit per transaction exceeds a third threshold value; and

    when the difference between the recent shopping activity and the historical shopping activity indicates fraud, generating a flag with respect to the first transaction;

    the validation module is coupled to the fraud detection module and is configured to (1) receive a validation decision from the fraud detection module, (2) when the validation decision indicates rejection, refrain from crediting an account associated with a user identifier identifying the user with an amount corresponding to the one or more price differences, and (3) when the difference between the recent shopping activity and the historical shopping activity does not indicate fraud and the validation decision indicates acceptance, perform at least one of;

    (i) crediting the account associated with the user identifier with the amount corresponding to the one or more price differences, (ii) generating a redemption code having the amount corresponding to the one or more price differences and receive a request to redeem the redemption code from the user associated with the user identifier, or (iii) issuing a gift card to the user associated with the user identifier; and

    the redemption module is coupled to the sale terminal, and is configured to receive transaction information related to a subsequent sale at the sale terminal and to transmit an authorization to the sale terminal when the transaction information is valid, the authorization allowing the sale terminal to apply the amount as credited, to the subsequent sale.

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