FRAUD PREVENTION USING CUSTOMER AND AGENT FACING DEVICES

• US 20110225067A1
• Filed: 03/12/2010
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Western Union
• Original Assignee: Western Union
• Inventors: Dunwoody, Kimberly
• Application Number:
  US12/723,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• 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 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer, the method occurring at a money transfer system, the method comprising: receiving a money transfer request from a requester including information about a pending transaction between the requester and a provider; providing the money transfer request to a sender, the money transfer request informing the sender of the pending transaction and requesting that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction; receiving an acceptance from the sender to perform the money transfer, the acceptance restricting the use of the funds to pay for the pending transaction; and executing a money transfer from the sender to the provider such that the money is transferred without being accessible to the requester.

Claims

1. A method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer, the method comprising:

receiving, by a money transfer system, a money transfer request from a requester, the money transfer request including information about a pending transaction between the requester and a provider;

providing, by the money transfer system, the money transfer request to a sender, wherein the money transfer request informs the sender of the pending transaction and requests that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction;

receiving, by the money transfer system, an acceptance from the sender to perform the money transfer, wherein the money transfer provides funds for the pending transaction, and wherein the acceptance restricts the use of the funds of the money transfer to payment of the pending transaction; and

executing, by the money transfer system, a money transfer from the sender to the provider such that the money is transferred from the sender to the provider without being accessible to the requester.

2. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 1, the method further comprising:

sending, by the money transfer system, a transaction identifier to the sender, wherein the transaction identifier associates the money transfer with the provider.

3. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 2, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the money transfer system, the transaction identifier from the provider, wherein the sender provides the transaction identifier to the provider, and wherein the transaction identifier allows the provider to gain control of the funds.

4. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 1, the method further comprising:

calculating, by the money transfer system, a fee associated with the money transfer, wherein the fee depends on one or more of the following;

the amount of funds transferred in the money transfer, currency conversion, transfer restrictions that are applied to the money transfer, the location that the money transfer is initiated, and the location that the money transfer is completed.

5. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 4, wherein the fee is applied to the money transfer by the money transfer system before the money transfer is executed, the fee being used to pay for the money transfer service.

6. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the money transfer system, a restriction from the sender along with the acceptance, wherein the restriction restricts the use of the funds to pay for the pending transaction, and wherein the restriction further restricts the requester'"'"'s ability to exchange a product for value, the product being the part of the pending transaction that the funds paid for and the value being one or more of the following;

money, an additional product, and a service.

7. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 6, wherein the restriction directs that the funds be transferred from the provider back to the sender upon the requester attempting to exchange the product for value.

8. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 1, wherein the pending transaction includes an invoice for a product and/or a service, and wherein the money transfer request provides the sender with information about the invoice for the product and/or the service and how the funds are to be applied to the invoice thereby facilitating the sender in deciding whether to accept to provide the funds in the money transfer.

9. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 8, wherein the money transfer request is received by the money transfer system in one of the following ways:

a money transfer application made over the Internet;

a photograph of the product and/or the service taken from a mobile device, wherein the photograph is sent to the money transfer system along with a message requesting that the sender provide funds to pay for the product and/or the service in the photograph;

a photograph of the product and/or the service taken from a camera, wherein the photograph is sent to the money transfer system along with a message requesting that the sender provide funds to pay for the product and/or the service in the photograph; and

the request made in person by the requester to an agent using the money transfer system, wherein the requester provides the agent with the information about the pending transaction including information about the product and/or the service, and wherein the requester further provides the agent with the request that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction, and wherein the agent provides the information and the request to the money transfer system.

10. A method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer, the method comprising:

receiving, by a money transfer system, a money transfer request from a requester, wherein the money transfer request comprises information about a pending transaction between the requester and a provider;

providing, by the money transfer system, the money transfer request to a sender, wherein the money transfer request informs the sender of the pending transaction and requests that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction;

receiving, by the money transfer system, an acceptance from the sender to perform the money transfer, wherein the money transfer provides funds for the pending transaction, and wherein the acceptance restricts the use of the funds of the money transfer to payment of the pending transaction;

sending, by the money transfer system, a transaction identifier to the sender, wherein the transaction identifier associates the money transfer with the provider;

executing, by the money transfer system, a money transfer from the sender to the provider, wherein the transaction identifier is received by the money transfer system from the provider, and wherein the money transfer occurs such that the money is transferred from the sender to the provider without being accessible to the requester.

11. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 10, the method further comprising:

calculating, by the money transfer system, a fee associated with the money transfer, wherein the fee depends on any or all of the following;

the amount of funds transferred in the money transfer, any currency conversion, any transfer restrictions that are applied to the money transfer, the location that the money transfer is initiated, and the location that the money transfer is completed.

12. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 11, wherein the fee is applied to the money transfer by the money transfer system before the money transfer is executed, the fee being used to pay for the money transfer service.

13. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the money transfer system, a restriction from the sender along with the acceptance, wherein the restriction restricts the use of the funds to pay for the pending transaction, and wherein the restriction further restricts the requester'"'"'s ability to exchange a product for value, the product being the part of the pending transaction that the funds paid for and the value being any of the following;

money, an additional product, a service, or any combination thereof.

14. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 13, wherein the restriction directs that the funds be transferred from the provider back to the sender upon the requester attempting to exchange the product for value.

15. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 10, wherein the pending transaction includes an invoice for a product and/or a service, and wherein the money transfer request provides the sender with information about the invoice for the product and/or the service and how the funds are to be applied to the invoice thereby facilitating the sender in deciding whether to accept to provide the funds in the money transfer.

16. The method of restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer as in claim 15, wherein the money transfer request is received by the money transfer system in one of the following ways:

a money transfer application made over the Internet;

a photograph of the product and/or the service taken from a mobile device, wherein the photograph is sent to the money transfer system along with a message requesting that the sender provide funds to pay for the product and/or the service in the photograph;

a photograph of the product and/or the service taken from a camera, wherein the photograph is sent to the money transfer system along with a message requesting that the sender provide funds to pay for the product and/or the service in the photograph;

and the request made in person by the requester to an agent using the money transfer system, wherein the requester provides the agent with the information about the pending transaction including information about the product and/or the service and wherein the requester further provides the agent with the request that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction, and wherein the agent provides the information and the request to the money transfer system.

17. A system for restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer process, the system comprising:

a communication device, the communication device being used by a requester to send a money transfer request, wherein the money transfer request comprises information about a pending transaction between the requester and a provider; and

a money transfer system in communication with the communication device, the money transfer system comprising a communication interface and a processor;

wherein, the communication interface is configured to;

receive the money transfer request from the communication device,

provide the money transfer request to the sender, wherein the money transfer request informs the sender of the pending transaction and requests that the sender provide funds for the pending transaction,

receive an acceptance from the sender to perform the money transfer, wherein the money transfer provides funds for the pending transaction, and wherein the acceptance restricts the use of the funds of the money transfer for payment of the pending transaction,

and wherein, the processor is configured to execute the money transfer from the sender to the provider such that the money is transferred from the sender to the provider without being accessible to the requester.

18. The system for restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer process as in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a fee associated with the money transfer, wherein the fee depends on any or all of the following:

the amount of funds transferred in the money transfer, any currency conversion, any transfer restrictions that are applied to the money transfer, the location that the money transfer is initiated, and the location that the money transfer is completed.

19. The system for restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer process as in claim 17, wherein the communication interface is further configured to receive a restriction from the sender along with the acceptance, wherein the restriction restricts the use of the funds to pay for the pending transaction, and wherein the restriction further restricts the requester'"'"'s ability to exchange a product for value, the product being a part of the pending transaction that the funds paid for and the value being one or more of the following:

money, an additional product, and a service.

20. The system for restricting the disbursement of funds in a money transfer process as in claim 19, wherein the restriction directs that the funds be transferred from the provider back to the sender upon the requester attempting to exchange the product for value.