Method, apparatus, and computer readable media for minimizing the risk of fraudulent access to call center resources

• US 6,937,702 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: West Corporation
• Inventors: Pettay, Mark J., Vacek, Jill M., Rilantono, Hendryanto, West, Gary L., Akhwand, Mahmood S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sing, Simon P.
• Application Number:
  US10/178,798
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.02, 379/88.01, 379/265.04, 379/266.09, 379/88.04, 704/246, 704/247, 704/275, 382115-118
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6018 Subscriber or terminal logon/logoff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators

Abstract

Method, apparatus, and computer-readable media for minimizing the risk of fraudulent access to call center resources. The invention described herein provides a method of minimizing fraudulent access to call center resources, with the method including at least the following. One or more authenticated biometric samples are associated with at least one person. The person then submits at least one test biometric sample during a login process to obtain authorization to access to call center resources, for example, to process telephone calls or to receive training. This test biometric sample is captured and the differences between the test biometric sample and the one or more authenticated biometric samples is quantified. Depending on the degree of difference between the at least one authenticated biometric sample and the test biometric sample, the person'"'"'s request for authorization to access call center resources is dispositioned. Apparatus and computer-readable media to realize the above functions are also provided herein.

Claims

1. A method of minimizing fraudulent processing of telephone calls, the method comprising at least the following:

capturing respective authenticated biometric samples corresponding to a plurality of respective persons;

capturing respective test biometric samples of the persons when ones of the persons submit requests for one of training and authorization to process the telephone calls;

quantifying a difference between at least one authenticated biometric sample and the at least one a given test biometric sample obtained for a given request from one of the persons, including defining a first and at least a second threshold value for the difference between the authenticated biometric sample and the given test biometric sample; and

dispositioning a first given request based on the difference, if the difference falls between the first threshold value and the at least second threshold value, by referring the first given request to a live supervisor and directing the at least one person to call a telephone number associated with the live supervisor; and

dispositioning at least a second given request by sending an e-mail notification to the live supervisor, if the difference is more than the at least second threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing at least one authenticated biometric sample includes capturing at least one of a speech sample, a palm print, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, an iris scan, and a facial scan.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the at least one authenticated biometric sample is performed when the at least one person submits an application for a position as a teleservices agent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the at least one authenticated biometric sample includes capturing a first and at least a second authenticated biometric sample of the at least one person.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein capturing at least one authenticated biometric sample includes capturing the first authenticated biometric sample at the time of an initial human resources interview with the at least one person, and wherein capturing the at least second authenticated biometric sample is performed at a training session involving the at least one person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing at least one test biometric sample includes capturing at least one of a speech sample, a palm print, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, an iris scan, and a facial scan.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing at least one test biometric sample is performed when the at least one person submits a request to access a computerized system to receive telephone calls processed by the computerized system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing at least one test biometric sample is performed during a log-on process during which a teleservices agent requests access to resources of a call center from a location remote from the call center.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference between the at least one authenticated biometric sample and the at least one test biometric sample includes quantifying a difference between at least one of respective speech samples, palm print samples, fingerprint samples, retinal scan samples, iris scan samples, and facial scan samples.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference includes defining at least a first threshold value for the difference between the authenticated biometric sample and the test biometric sample.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein dispositioning the request includes automatically approving the request if the difference is lower than the at least first threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein referring the first given request includes sending a message listing at least a name of the at least one person.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising dispositioning at least a third given request by automatically rejecting the third given request if the difference is more than the at least second threshold value.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference is performed by a biometric sample authentication engine.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein quantifying a difference is performed by at least one of a speech recognition engine, a palm print recognition engine, a fingerprint recognition engine, a retinal scan recognition engine, an iris scan recognition engine, and a facial scan recognition engine.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining at least one of image and video from the at least one person and providing the same to at least one caller who is interacting with the at least one person using call center resources.

17. Apparatus for minimizing fraudulent processing of telephone calls, the apparatus comprising at least the following:

means for capturing respective authenticated biometric samples corresponding to a plurality of respective persons;

means for capturing respective test biometric samples of the persons when ones of the persons submit requests for one of training and authorization to process the telephone calls;

means for quantifying a difference between at least one authenticated biometric sample and a given test biometric sample obtained for a given request from one of the persons, including defining a first and at least a second threshold value for the difference between the authenticated biometric sample and the given test biometric sample;

means for dispositioning a first given request based on the difference, if the difference falls between the first threshold value and the at least second threshold value, by referring the first given request to a live supervisor and directing the at least one person to call a telephone number associated with the live supervisor; and

means for dispositioning at least a second given request by sending an e-mail notification to the live supervisor, if the difference is more than the at least second threshold value.

18. A program storage device readable by a machine, embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for minimizing fraudulent processing of telephone calls, the method comprising at least the following:

capturing respective authenticated biometric samples corresponding to a plurality of respective persons;

capturing respective test biometric samples of the persons when ones of the persons submit requests for one of training and authorization to process the telephone calls;

quantifying a difference between at least one authenticated biometric sample and a given test biometric sample obtained for a given request from one of the persons, including defining a first and at least a second threshold value for the difference between the authenticated biometric sample and the given test biometric sample; and

dispositioning a first given request based on the difference, if the difference falls between the first threshold value and the at least second threshold value, by referring the a first given request to a live supervisor and directing the at least one person to call a telephone number associated with the live supervisor; and

dispositioning at least a second given request by sending an e-mail notification to the live supervisor, if the difference is more than the at least second threshold value.

19. A call center adapted to minimize fraudulent access to call center resources, the call center comprising at least the following:

a biometric capture device capturing respective test biometric samples from respective ones of a plurality of persons submitting requests to access call center resources;

a data store management system receiving a test biometric sample and at least one agent identifier associated with a given person, and associating at least one authenticated biometric sample with the at least one agent identifier;

a biometric sample comparator comparing the test biometric sample to the at least one authenticated biometric sample and generating a match level signal corresponding to a difference therebetween; and

a program of instructions functioning at least in part to disposition requests received by respective persons based on the match level signal by;

defining a first and at least a second threshold value for the match level signal,

if the match level signal falls between the first threshold value and the at least second threshold value for a given request, referring the given request to a live supervisor and directing the at least one person making the given request to call a telephone number associated with the live supervisor, and

if the match level signal is more than the at least second threshold value for the given request, dispositioning the given request by sending an e-mail notification to the live supervisor.

20. The call center of claim 19, wherein the test biometric sample is one of a speech sample, a palm print, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, an iris scan, and a facial scan.

21. The call center of claim 19, wherein the authenticated biometric sample is one of a speech sample, a palm print, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, an iris scan, and a facial scan.

22. The call center of claim 19, wherein the biometric capture device includes a camera adapted to capture the at least one test biometric sample.

23. The call center of claim 19, wherein the biometric capture device includes a camera adapted to capture the at least one authenticated biometric sample.

24. The call center of claim 19, wherein the biometric capture device is adapted to capture at least one of image and video of the at least one person, and to provide the same to at least one caller who is interacting with the at least one person using call center resources.