IDENTITY THEFT AND FRAUD PROTECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140304157A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aura Sub, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kemesa Incorporated
• Inventors: Bachenheimer, Steven I., Dowding, Keith, Skipworth, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 9,582,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/385 using an alias or single-use codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215

Abstract

A system and method protects users against theft of personally identifiable information during both online and offline purchase transactions, registration transactions and identity authentication transactions. The system initially obtains a user'"'"'s personally identifiable information as storable computer data, establishes an anonymous email address on behalf of the subscribing user, provides the anonymous email address to an email recipient when the subscribing user sends an email to the recipient, receives email communications from the recipient at the anonymous email address, stores the routing information from the email communications, scrubs the email communications for electronic viruses, forwards the email communications received from the recipient at the anonymous email address to the subscribing user, and forwards email communications to the recipient that are sent from the subscribing user to the anonymous email address by matching the stored routing information without ever revealing the subscribing user'"'"'s real email address to the recipient.

Claims

1. A method for protecting against theft of personally identifiable information, said method comprising the steps of:

registering an individual subscriber as a member of an identity protection system and obtaining personally identifiable information from the subscribing member as storable computer data;

establishing an anonymous email address on behalf of the subscribing member;

providing the anonymous email address to an email recipient when the subscribing member sends an email to the recipient;

receiving email communications from the recipient at the anonymous email address;

storing the routing information from the email communications;

scrubbing the email communications for electronic viruses;

forwarding the email communications received from the recipient at the anonymous email address to the subscribing member; and

forwarding email communications to the recipient that are sent from the subscribing member to the anonymous email address by matching the stored routing information without ever revealing the subscribing member'"'"'s real email address to the recipient.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

alerting the subscribing member when an email communication having unidentified routing information is received at the anonymous email address.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

encrypting the obtained personally identifiable information and storing the personally identifiable information as encrypted data;

fragmenting the encrypted data by a computer;

storing portions of the fragmented encrypted data, by at least one computer, independently at separate computer storage locations; and

preventing third party access to the fragmented encrypted data.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the email recipient is a business entity.

5. A method for protecting against theft of personally identifiable information during a purchase transaction, said method comprising the steps of:

registering an individual subscriber as a member of an identity protection system and obtaining personally identifiable information from the subscribing member as storable computer data;

generating an anonymous identification card upon request by the individual subscriber;

notifying the individual subscriber that the anonymous identification card has been generated;

activating and delivering the anonymous identification card to the individual subscriber upon request by the individual subscriber for use to conduct the purchase transaction; and

confirming the identity of the user of the anonymous identification card upon presentation of the anonymous identification card during the purchase transaction by comparing the anonymous identification card with the storable computer data of the personally identifiable information of the individual subscriber, thereby confirming that the user is the individual subscriber.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising the step of:

delivering a notification to the individual subscriber that the anonymous identification card has been used.

7. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said anonymous identification card is a physical card.

8. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein said anonymous identification card is a virtual identification card.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the virtual identification card is delivered to an electronic mobile device of the individual subscriber.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the electronic mobile device is a smart phone.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the electronic mobile device is an electronic tablet.

12. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the virtual identification card is a QR code.

13. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the virtual identification card is a NFC code.

14. A method for protecting against theft of personally identifiable information during online transactions comprising the steps of:

establishing a user as a member of an identity protection system;

obtaining personally identifiable information from the member in the form of storable computer data;

encrypting the obtained personally identifiable information and storing the personally identifiable information as encrypted data;

fragmenting the encrypted data by a computer;

storing portions of the fragmented encrypted data, by at least one computer, independently at separate computer storage locations;

preventing third party access to the fragmented encrypted data;

allowing the member to initiate an online transaction on a third party website on a global computer network;

receiving a request for personally identifiable information of the member for use in conducting the online transaction; and

generating virtual personally identifiable information in response to the request and providing the virtual personally identifiable information to the third party website without revealing the member'"'"'s real personally identifiable information.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the online transaction is a registration transaction.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the third party website to provide a trusted credential of the member attempting to access the third party website in order to confirm the true identity of the member for authenticated access to the third party website;

comparing the virtual personally identifiable information provided to the third party website with the member'"'"'s stored personally identifiable information that has been stored as a member of the identity protection system;

providing the requested trusted credential of the member to the third party website if the virtual personally identifiable information is successfully matched to the member'"'"'s stored personally identifiable information by the identity protection system; and

denying the attempted access to the third party website if the virtual personally identifiable information is not successfully matched to the member'"'"'s stored personally identifiable information by the identity protection system.