Systems and methods for remote account control

• US 20050263588A1
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Financial Systems Holdings, Inc. (MasterCard Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: RBA International, Inc.
• Inventors: Babi, Rene Pierre, Silbernagel, Mark Mathias
• Granted Patent: US 7,229,006 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/380
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3221 Access to banking information through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely causing a request for authorization to charge a card, that is otherwise active, to be denied. In one embodiment, an access controller receives a call from a card holder and analyzes ANI and DNIS data received during call setup for the call to select a card account and an action (e.g., turn account OFF) to be taken with respect to the card account. The access controller formulates and sends a message to an account authorization processing system to cause the account authorization processing system to thereafter deny requests for authorization to charge the card account. A subsequent call to the access controller from the same caller (i.e., a same ANI) will reverse account closure and allow card authorization to proceed. Feedback, in the form of an Instant Message (IM), email, or audible signal (busy, ringing) when making the call, may be provided to indicate the success of a change to the state of the account. Embodiments that do not rely on PSTN infrastructure are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of remotely controlling transaction processing for an account, comprising:

making available to an account holder at least one rule that can be toggled ON or OFF and which affects transaction processing for an account;

receiving non-verbal information from the account holder sufficient to identify an account belonging to the account holder and to determine whether to toggle ON or OFF the at least one rule;

forming and sending a message to an account authorization processing system, the message including identification of the account belonging to the account holder and an instruction to toggle ON or OFF the at least one rule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-verbal information comprises at least one of ANI, DNIS, an IP address, an email address, and an electronic message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one rule comprises at least one of turning the account on/off completely, a temporal rule, a merchant code rule, a currency amount rule, a velocity rule;

a transaction type rule, a level III data rule, a location rule, a proximity rules and a biometric information rule.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one more rules are combined to form one combination rule that can be toggled ON or OFF as one.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a rule is augmented or controlled by another rule.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an indication to the account holder indicative of a state of the account in view receipt of the non-verbal information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication comprises an Instant Message (IM).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication comprises an email.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising denying a request for authorization at the authorization processing system in view of the at least one rule being toggled ON.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-verbal information is received from a telephone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-verbal information is received electronically from one of a computer, a PDA or other personal computing device.

12. A method of remotely controlling authorization processing for an account, comprising the steps of:

receiving call setup information, including ANI and DNIS, related to a call directed to an access controller;

extracting the ANI and DNIS from the setup information;

associating at least one account with the ANI and determining a requested action based on the DNIS;

forming and sending a message to an account authorization processing system, the message including identification of the at least one account and the requested action, the message causing one or more rules effecting authorization of transactions to be toggled ON or OFF.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming and sending the message only when at least one rule that is caused to be enabled by the requested action is effective to disable subsequent transaction processing for the at least one account.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising sending an indication to a holder of the account indicating that the at least one account is disabled.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the indication is an Instant Message (IM).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the indication is an email.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the indication is one of a busy signal and a ringing signal.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a subsequent message causes the account to be enabled.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the DNIS includes at least a portion of a number of the account.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising denying a request for authorization received at the authorization processing system after the message is received at the authorization processing system.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the ANI and DNIS are captured using ISDN services.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the call is received from a cellular telephone.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the call is received from a landline telephone.

24. The method of claim 12, wherein the account is disabled only in response to a caller'"'"'s call, without further action by a caller who placed the call.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein the account is at least one of for a credit card, debit card, store branded card, security or access card, smart card, stored value card and a prepaid card.

26. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the call and a custom sequence of numbers is initiated by speed-dialing.

27. The method of claim 12, wherein the access controller is operated by a stand-in processing entity.

28. The method of claim 12, wherein the access controller is operated by an issuing financial institution of a card associated with the account.

29. The method of claim 12, wherein the access controller and account authorization processing system communicate with each other via a communications network.

30. A method of remotely causing a request for authorization to charge an account, that is otherwise active, to be denied, comprising the steps of:

providing an access controller;

receiving at the access controller a call from an account holder;

analyzing ANI and DNIS data received during call setup for the call, and selecting an account controlled by the account holder and an action to be taken with respect to the account controlled by the account holder in view of the ANI and DNIS data; and

formulating and sending a message to an account authorization processing system to deny requests for authorization to charge the card account.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving at the access controller a second call from the account holder;

analyzing ANI and DNIS data received during call setup for the second call and selecting the account controlled by the accountholder and another action to be taken with respect to the account controlled by the account holder in view of the ANI and DNIS data of the second call; and

formulating and sending a second message to the account authorization processing system to allow requests for authorization to charge the account controlled by the account holder.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising sending an indication to the account holder indicating a state of the account controlled by the account holder.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the indication is in the form of at least one of an Instant Message, an email, and an auditory cue during the call.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising sending additional information about the account controlled by the account holder.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising partnering with a cellular telephone service provider that supports shortened dialing functionality to reach the access controller.

36. The method of claim of claim 30, wherein the account controlled by the account holder is at least one of credit card, debit card, store branded card, security or access card, smart card, stored value card and a prepaid card.