Automated entity verification

• US 8,639,930 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dun & Bradstreet Corp., DUN & Bradstreet Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.), Hoover's Incorporated (Dun & Bradstreet Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Credibility Corp. (Dun & Bradstreet Corp.)
• Inventors: Stibel, Jeffrey M., Stibel, Aaron B., Delgrosso, Peter, Mistry, Shailen, Mierke, Bryan, Servino, Paul, Le, Charles Chi Thoi, Lo, David, Lyon, David Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, April Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pan, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US13/290,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 713/161, 713168-170, 380/229, 380/232, 726/2
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a verification system for automated verification of entities. The verification system automatedly verifies entities using a two part verification campaign. One part verifies that the entity is the true owner of the entity account to be verified. This verification step involves (1) the entity receiving a verification code at the entity account and returning the verification code to the verification system, (2) the entity associating an account that it has registered at a service provider to an account that the verification system has registered at the service provider, (3) both. Another part verifies the entity can respond to communications that are sent to methods of contact that have been previously verified as belonging to the entity. The verification system submits a first communication with a code using a verified method of contact. The verification system then monitors for a second communication to be returned with the code.

Claims

1. A verification system comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, said program for performing a two-step verification to verify an entity at an online service provider when said entity has registered an account at the online service provider, wherein said program instructs a microprocessor of the verification system to perform sets of instructions for:

receiving a request comprising at least one identifier for identifying said entity;

matching said identifier to a particular data structure comprising verified identification information and contact information for said entity;

generating, by the verification system, a first sequence of alphanumeric characters as a first code and a second sequence of alphanumeric characters that is different than the first sequence as a second code, the first code required to complete a first step of the two-step verification of the entity and the second code required to complete a second step of the two-step verification of the entity;

disseminating, from the verification system, the first code and the second code,

wherein disseminating the first code comprises disseminating the first code to the account that the entity has registered at the online service provider using a messaging format of the online service provider,

wherein disseminating the second code comprises disseminating the second code in a communication to the entity according to contact information from the particular data structure,

wherein said disseminating of said second code is contemporaneous with said disseminating of said first code, and

wherein said contact information is not provided by said entity as part of said request comprising the at least one identifier;

verifying said entity at the online service provider when the verification system (i) receives the first code completing the first step of the two-step verification and (ii) receives the second code completing the second step of the two-step verification wherein said verifying comprises modifying said non-transitory storage medium to store verification status of said entity.

2. The verification system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for disseminating said first code comprises a set of instructions for interfacing with said online service provider to disseminate said first code to the account of the entity from a separate account at the online service provider using a messaging format of the online service provider.

3. The verification system of claim 1, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for monitoring for return of said first and second codes by said entity.

4. The verification system of claim 1, wherein said identifier comprises at least one of i) a name of the entity and ii) a username or handle for the account that the entity registered with the online service provider.

5. The verification system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for matching said identifier comprises a set of instructions for matching said identifier to identification information of a plurality of data structures to identify a set of the plurality of data structures with identification information matching said identifier to a specified threshold, wherein said particular data structure is part of the plurality of data structures and is part of the set of data structures.

6. The verification system of claim 5, wherein said plurality of data structures is maintained by an entity record database that operates a database for at least one of credit verification, business verification, and individual verification.

7. The verification system of claim 5, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for presenting the set of data structures for selection of the particular data structure by the entity.

8. The verification system of claim 5, wherein each data structure of the plurality of data structures comprises verified identification information and contact information for a different entity.

9. The verification system of claim 1, wherein the contact information comprises at least one of a telephone number, a mailing address, and an email address, and wherein disseminating the second code in the communication comprises at least one of (i) dialing the telephone number and presenting the second code via an audible message upon connection, (ii) sending a text message with the second code to the telephone number, and (iii) sending an email with the second code to the email address.

10. The verification system of claim 1, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for presenting said contact information from the particular data structure to the entity for selection of a particular method of contact from said contact information with which to disseminate said second code to the entity and a set of instructions for receiving selection of the particular method of contact to disseminate said second code to the entity.

11. The verification system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for verifying said entity comprises a set of instructions for notifying the online service provider that the account accessible to said entity is verified.

12. The verification system of claim 1, wherein said first and second codes are returned using at least one of a dial-in telephone number, graphical user interface, and messaging interface, and wherein the messaging interface supports at least one of email messaging and text messaging.

13. The verification system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for verifying said entity comprises a set of instructions for presenting a verification symbol in conjunction with the account that the entity has registered at the online service provider.

14. A method performed by a verification system comprising a microprocessor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, said method for performing a two-step verification to verify an entity at an online social media site when said entity has registered an account at the online social media site, the method comprising:

receiving a request at the verification system, said request comprising at least one identifier for identifying said entity;

identifying by said verification system, at least one data structure from a plurality of data structures when said identifier matches to identification information of the at least one data structure by a specified threshold, wherein each data structure of the plurality of data structures comprises verified identification information and contact information for a different entity;

issuing a request from said verification system, said request (i) identifying a first verification system account that is registered to the verification system at the online social media site and (ii) identifying an association action to establish a social media link at the online social media site between the first verification system account and a second account that said entity has registered at the online social media site;

disseminating a code in a first communication from said verification system to the entity according to contact information in the data structure, wherein said association action completes a first step of the two-step verification of the entity and returning said code completes a second step of the two-step verification of entity; and

verifying said entity when the verification system (i) confirms that the first verification system account is associated with the second account at the online social media site to complete the first step of the two-step verification of the entity and (ii) receives a second communication comprising said code to complete the second step of the two-step verification of the entity, said verifying comprising modifying said non-transitory storage medium to store verification status of said entity.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising accessing, by said verification system, said first account at the online social media site to confirm association of the first account with the second account.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising monitoring, by said verification system, for completion of said association action to verify that said entity has access to the second account.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein monitoring for completion comprises monitoring for linking of said second account to the first account using a linking function of the online social media site.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the linking function comprises submission of at least one of a message, friend request, and follow request from the second account to the first account.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the code is a first code, the method further comprising said verification system generating a second code and disseminating said second code to the second account of the entity at the online social media site after said second account is associated with said first account.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein disseminating said second code comprises disseminating said second code to the second account from said first account using a message format that is supported by the online social media site.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising monitoring for return of said second code by said entity.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein verifying said entity further comprises verifying said entity when said second code is returned.

23. A verification system comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, said program for performing a two-step verification to verify an entity at an online service provider when said entity has registered an account at the online service provider, wherein said program instructs a microprocessor of the verification system to perform sets of instructions for:

receiving a request comprising at least one identifier for identifying said entity;

matching said identifier to a particular data structure comprising verified identification information and contact information for said entity;

disseminating, from the verification system, a first sequence of alphanumeric characters as a first code contemporaneously with a second sequence of alphanumeric characters that is different than the first sequence as a second code, wherein disseminating the first code comprises disseminating the first code to the account that the entity has registered at the online service provider using a messaging format of the online service provider, and wherein disseminating the second code comprises disseminating the second code in a communication to the entity according to contact information from the particular data structure;

completing a first step of the two-step verification of the entity by receiving the disseminated first code at the verification system;

completing a second step of the two-step verification of the entity by receiving the disseminated second code at the verification system; and

verifying the entity at the online service provider at the completion of the first step and the second step of the two-step verification.

24. The verification system of claim 23, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for presenting an interface comprising a first input and a second input, the first input for receiving the first code and the second input for receiving the second code.

25. The verification system of claim 23, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for monitoring for return of the first and second codes within a specified duration after disseminating the first and second codes.

26. The verification system of claim 23, wherein the first step of the two-step verification verifies that the entity has access to the account at the online service provider and the second step of the two-step verification verifies that the entity is who it claims to be.

27. The verification system of claim 23, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for presenting a verification symbol to indicate that the entity is verified.

28. The verification system of claim 27, wherein the set of instructions for presenting the verification symbol comprises presenting the verification symbol in conjunction with the account that the entity has registered at the online service provider.

29. The verification system of claim 23, wherein said program further comprises a set of instructions for notifying the online service provider that the account accessible to said entity is verified.