Electronic verification service systems and methods
First Claim
1. A method of authenticating an applicant, the method performed by a computer executing a program stored on a computer readable medium, the method comprising:
- receiving an indication of an existing financial account purportedly owned by the applicant;
transmitting a question request message to a purported issuer of the financial account that has stored at least one challenge question, the question request message identifying the account and requesting one or more questions relating to the account to be asked to the applicant, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time;
receiving from the issuer of the account a first reply in response to the question request message, the first reply comprising a set of the one or more questions;
asking the applicant the set of one or more questions relating to the account;
receiving answers to the questions from the applicant;
transmitting an answer message to the issuer of the account, the answer message comprising the applicant'"'"'s answers to the questions; and
receiving a second reply from the issuer of the account in response to the answer message, the second reply indicating whether the applicant is authenticated as the owner of the account;
and wherein the messages and replies are carried over an electronic funds transfer network.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for authenticating an applicant. In one implementation, the applicant indicates to an acquirer an existing account for which the applicant wishes to be authenticated. The acquirer sends a message over an electronic funds transfer (EFT) network to an issuer of the account requesting a set of questions to ask the applicant. The issuer replies with a set of questions. The acquirer asks the applicant the questions, and forwards the applicant'"'"'s answers to the issuer. The issuer compares the answers with known information relating to the account and decides, based on the comparison, whether the applicant is authenticated. The issuer then communicates its decision to the acquirer. Preferably, the messages and their associated replies are added to the set of messages handled by the EFT network, so that authentication may be handled in a standardized way without proliferating applicants'"'"' secret information.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method of authenticating an applicant, the method performed by a computer executing a program stored on a computer readable medium, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of an existing financial account purportedly owned by the applicant; transmitting a question request message to a purported issuer of the financial account that has stored at least one challenge question, the question request message identifying the account and requesting one or more questions relating to the account to be asked to the applicant, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time; receiving from the issuer of the account a first reply in response to the question request message, the first reply comprising a set of the one or more questions; asking the applicant the set of one or more questions relating to the account; receiving answers to the questions from the applicant; transmitting an answer message to the issuer of the account, the answer message comprising the applicant'"'"'s answers to the questions; and receiving a second reply from the issuer of the account in response to the answer message, the second reply indicating whether the applicant is authenticated as the owner of the account; and wherein the messages and replies are carried over an electronic funds transfer network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of authenticating an applicant, the method performed by a computer executing a program stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:
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receiving at a financial institution a question request message, the question request message identifying an existing account of the financial institution and requesting a set of one or more questions relating to the account to be asked of the applicant; transmitting a reply to the question request message, the reply to the question request message comprising the set of one or more questions, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time; receiving an answer message, the answer message comprising a set of answers given by an applicant to the set of one or more questions relating to the account; comparing the answers with known information relating to the account; deciding, based on the comparison, whether the applicant is authenticated as the account owner; and transmitting a reply in response to the answer message, the reply to the answer message indicating whether the applicant is authenticated; wherein the messages and replies are carried over an electronic funds transfer network. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system for authenticating an applicant, the system comprising:
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a host computer executing a program stored on a computer readable medium, the host computer configured to receive an indication of an account purportedly owned by the applicant; transmit, over an electronic funds transfer network and to a purported issuer of the financial account that has stored at least one challenge question, a question request message, the question request message identifying the account and requesting a set of one or more questions about the account to be asked to the applicant; receive from the issuer of the account, over the electronic funds transfer network, a first reply in response to the question request message, the first reply comprising the set of one or more questions, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time; ask the applicant the questions; receive, from the applicant, answers to the questions; transmit, over the electronic funds transfer network, an answer message to the issuer of the account, the answer message comprising the applicant'"'"'s answers to the questions; and receive, over the electronic funds transfer network, a second reply from the issuer of the account in response to the answer message, the second reply indicating whether the applicant is authenticated as the owner of the account. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A system for authenticating an applicant, the system comprising:
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a host computer of a financial institution, the host computer executing a program stored on a computer readable medium, the host computer configured to receive from an acquirer or service provider, over an electronic funds transfer network, a question request message, the question request message identifying an account of the financial institution and requesting one or more questions relating to the account to be asked of the applicant; transmit to the acquirer or service provider, over the electronic funds transfer network in response to the question request message a first reply, the first reply comprising the one or more questions, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time; receive, over the electronic funds transfer network, an answer message, the answer message comprising a set of answers given by the applicant to the questions; compare the answers with known information relating to the account; decide, based on the comparison, whether the applicant is authenticated as the account owner; and transmit to the acquirer or service provider, over the electronic funds transfer network, a second reply in response to the answer message, the second reply indicating whether the applicant is authenticated.
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25. A method comprising adding, to a set of messages handled by an electronic funds transfer network, two messages and their associated replies, wherein:
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the first message is generated by a computer system of an acquirer or service provider and is transmitted to a computer system of an issuer financial institution having an account for which authentication is being sough, wherein the first message requests a set of questions to be asked of an applicant for authentication of the account; the reply to the first message comprises a set of questions to ask the applicant that was received from the computer system of the issuer financial institution, at least one of which asks for information about a detail of the account that changes over time; the second message is generated by the computer system of the acquirer or the service provider and communicates the applicant'"'"'s answers to the computer system of the issuer financial institution; and the reply to the second message is generated by the computer system of the operator of the issuer financial institution and communicates an indication of whether the applicant is authenticated. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification