Method and System for Identifying Users and Detecting Fraud by Use of the Internet

• US 20110082768A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Eisen, Ori
• Granted Patent: US 10,999,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12

Abstract

A method and system for detecting and preventing Internet fraud in online transactions by utilizing and analyzing a number of parameters to uniquely identify a computer user and potential fraudulent transaction through predictive modeling. The method and system uses a delta of time between the clock of the computer used by the actual fraudulent use and the potentially fraudulent user and the clock of the server computer in conjunction with personal information and/or non-personal information, preferably the Browser ID.

Claims

1. A method for detecting fraud in an online transaction with a customer comprising the steps of:

creating a first computer identifier corresponding to a first computer in the course of a first online transaction, and a second computer identifier corresponding to a second computer in the course of a second online transaction, wherein each computer identifier includes an IP address and an expression of time according to a predetermined format;

comparing the IP addresses and the predetermined formats of the expressions of time for the first computer identifier and the second computer identifier; and

assessing the risk of fraud in connection with the second online transaction based upon said comparison when the first online transaction is known to be associated with fraudulent activity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined format includes two or more temporal components.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the temporal components include an actual time and a time zone.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined format includes time displayed in military format.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the expression of time is a difference in time between two different devices.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the expression of time is a difference in time between a single device itself.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the expression of time takes daylight savings time into account.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the risk of fraud is increased if there are differences between the IP addresses or the predetermined formats of the expressions of time for the first computer identifier and the second computer identifier.

9. A tangible computer readable medium containing program instructions for detecting fraud in an online transaction with a customer comprising:

computer code that creates a first computer identifier corresponding to a first computer in the course of a first online transaction, and a second computer identifier corresponding to a second computer in the course of a second online transaction, wherein each computer identifier includes an IP address and an expression of time according to a predetermined format;

computer code that compares the IP addresses and the predetermined formats of the expressions of time for the first computer identifier and the second computer identifier; and

computer code that assesses the risk of fraud in connection with the second online transaction based upon said comparison when the first online transaction is known to be associated with fraudulent activity.

10. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the predetermined format include an actual time and a time zone.

11. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the predetermined format includes time displayed in military format.

12. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the expression of time takes daylight savings time into account.