Consumer Due Diligence For Money Transfer Systems And Methods

• US 20100250375A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Union
• Original Assignee: The Westren Union Company
• Inventors: Diehl, Kristine
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• 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 20/4037 Remote solvency checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method of transferring money from a sender to a recipient using a third party money transfer service a point of sale device receiving transaction details for a requested money transfer; determining whether the requested transaction is an allowable transaction; and either aborting the transaction; attempting to identify the sender as an existing customer using the transaction details; using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed. If the requested transaction is allowed to proceed, the method includes creating a money transfer record for the requested transaction; associating a money transfer control number to the money transfer record; and using the transaction details to determine whether to monitor the requested transaction.

Claims

1. A method of transferring money from a sender to a recipient using a third party money transfer service, the method comprising:

providing a point of sale device at a money transfer origination location in communication with a host computer system of a money transfer network;

entering into the point of sale device transaction details for a requested money transfer by the sender, wherein the details include at least a sender name, a recipient name, and a transfer amount;

determining with the point of sale device whether the requested transaction is an allowable transaction;

if the transaction is determined not to be an allowable transaction, aborting the transaction;

if the transaction is determined to be an allowable transaction, attempting to identify the sender as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details, wherein existing customers have a unique customer identifier and transaction history;

if the attempt to identify the sender as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details is unsuccessful;

displaying a prompt on the point of sale device that additional information is required;

entering the additional information into the point of sale device; and

attempting to identify the sender as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details and the additional information;

if the sender cannot be identified as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details or the transaction details and the additional information;

assigning a unique customer identifier to the sender;

allowing the transaction to proceed; and

storing at least a portion of the transaction details and at least a portion of the additional information as transaction history in a record with the sender'"'"'s unique customer identifier;

if the sender can be identified as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details or the transaction details and the additional information;

recalling the sender'"'"'s transaction history; and

using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed;

if the requested transaction is allowed to proceed;

creating a money transfer record for the requested transaction;

associating a money transfer control number to the money transfer record; and

using the transaction details to determine whether to monitor the requested transaction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a second point of sale device at a money transfer reception location in communication with the host computer system of the money transfer network;

entering the money transfer control number into the point of sale device to thereby locate the money transfer record; and

determining, based on the transaction details whether to collect personal information from the recipient.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed comprises using the money transfer origination location or the money transfer reception location, at least in part, to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed comprises determining whether a transaction frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed comprises aggregating a plurality of transaction amounts by the sender and determining whether the aggregate exceeds a predetermined aggregation threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed comprises determining whether a transaction pattern comprises an unallowable transaction pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to identify the sender as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details comprises using the host computer system to attempt to identify the sender as an existing customer of the third party money transfer service using the transaction details.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed comprises using the host computer system to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed.

9. A money transfer system comprising:

a host computer system; and

a plurality of point of sale devices at money transfer origination locations in communication with the host computer system;

wherein each point of sale device is configured to;

receive transaction details for a requested money transfer by a sender to a recipient, wherein the details include at least a sender name, a recipient name, and a transfer amount;

determine whether the requested transaction is an allowable transaction;

abort the transaction if the transaction is determined not to be an allowable transaction; and

transfer the transaction details to the host computer system;

wherein the host computer system is configured to;

attempt to identify the sender as an existing customer using the transaction details, wherein existing customers have a previously-assigned unique customer identifier and transaction history stored in a record accessible to the host computer system;

send a message to the point of sale device that additional information is required if the attempt to identify the sender as an existing customer is unsuccessful;

receive the additional information;

attempt to identify the sender as an existing customer using the transaction details and the additional information;

recall the sender'"'"'s transaction history if the sender can be identified as an existing customer;

use the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed;

store at least a portion of the transaction details and the additional information in a record with the sender'"'"'s unique customer identifier;

create a money transfer record for the requested transaction;

associate a money transfer control number to the money transfer record; and

use at least a portion of the transaction details to determine whether to monitor the requested transaction.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of point of sale devices is configured to receive the money transfer control number and interact with the host computer system to determine, based on the transaction details, whether to collect personal information from the recipient.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein in being configured to use the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed, the host computer system is configured to use a money transfer origination location or a money transfer reception location, at least in part, to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein in being configured to use the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed, the host computer system is configured to determine whether a transaction frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein in being configured to use the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed, the host computer system is configured to aggregate a plurality of transaction amounts by the sender and determine whether an associated aggregate exceeds a predetermined aggregation threshold.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein in being configured to use the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed, the host computer system is configured to determine whether a transaction pattern comprises an unallowable transaction pattern.

15. A computerized method of processing money transfer transactions, comprising:

establishing a plurality of processing rules;

storing the processing rules such that the rules are accessible to each of a plurality of money transfer point of sale devices located at money transfer origination locations;

at a money transfer origination location and in response to a request by a sender customer to initiate a money transfer transaction, receiving a first set of data into one of the plurality of money transfer point of sale devices, wherein the first set of data includes at least a sender name, a recipient name, and a transfer amount;

applying one or more of the plurality of rules to the first set of data to determine whether the requested transaction is an allowable transaction;

if the transaction is determined not to be an allowable transaction, aborting the transaction;

if the transaction is determined to be an allowable transaction, applying one or more of the plurality of rules to the first set of data to attempt to identify the sender as a previous customer having a previously-assigned unique customer identifier and associated transaction history;

if the attempt to identify the sender as a previous customer is unsuccessful;

displaying a prompt on the point of sale device that additional data is required;

receiving the additional data into the point of sale device; and

applying one or more of the plurality of rules to the additional data to attempt to identify the sender as a previous customer;

if the sender cannot be identified as a previous customer;

assigning a unique customer identifier to the sender;

allowing the transaction to proceed; and

storing at least a portion of the first set of data and the additional data as transaction history in a record with the sender'"'"'s unique customer identifier;

if the sender can be identified as a previous customer;

recalling the sender'"'"'s transaction history; and

using the sender'"'"'s transaction history and at least a portion of the first set of data and the additional data to determine whether to allow the money transfer transaction to proceed;

if the money transfer transaction is allowed to proceed;

creating a money transfer record for the money transfer transaction;

associating a money transfer control number to the money transfer record; and

using at least a portion of the sender'"'"'s transaction history, the first set of data, and the additional data to determine whether to monitor the money transfer transaction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving the money transfer control number into one of the plurality of money transfer point of sale devices; and

determining whether to collect personal information from a recipient.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the processing rules uses a money transfer origination location or a money transfer reception location, at least in part, to determine whether to allow the requested transaction to proceed.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the processing rules uses the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether a transaction frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the processing rules uses the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to aggregate a plurality of transaction amounts by the sender and determine whether an associated aggregate exceeds a predetermined aggregation threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more of the processing rules uses the sender'"'"'s transaction history and the transaction details to determine whether a transaction pattern comprises an unallowable transaction pattern.