Automated entity verification

• US 8,732,803 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• 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): Zecher, Cordelia
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US14/045,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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
• 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 method performed by a verification system comprising at least one server having a microprocessor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, said method for performing a two-step verification to verify a party claiming to be an entity at a service provider, the method comprising:

receiving a first identifier identifying the entity and a second identifier identifying an account for the entity at the service provider;

obtaining contact information that has been previously verified for the entity using the first identifier;

disseminating a first code and a second code,

wherein disseminating the first code comprises disseminating the first code to the account for the entity at the service provider using the second identifier, and

wherein disseminating the second code comprises disseminating the second code in a communication using the contact information; and

verifying the party as the entity represented through the account when the verification system (i) receives the first code completing a first step of the two-step verification and (ii) receives the second code completing a second step of the two-step verification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein completing the first step of the two-step verification comprises verifying that the party has access to the account representing the entity at the service provider, and wherein completing the second step of the two-step verification comprises verifying that the party is the entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying comprises modifying the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to store verified status of the account at the service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein disseminating the first code comprises disseminating the first code to the account using a messaging format of the service provider.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising matching the first identifier to a particular data structure of a plurality of data structures, wherein each data structure of the plurality of data structures stores previously verified contact information for a different entity.

6. The method 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, (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.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting a verification symbol in conjunction with the account after the first step and the second step of the two-step verification are completed.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the first code as a different alphanumeric sequence than the second code.

9. A method for performing a two-step verification to verify a party claiming to be an entity at an online site, the method comprising:

with at least one server of a verification system having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium;

retrieving contact information for the entity from a source that has previously verified that the contact information is usable to contact the entity, wherein the source is not the party;

identifying to said party, a performable action at the online site with which the party completes a first step of the two-step verification, wherein the action involves associating a first account of the online site with a second account of the online site, wherein (i) the first account is an account representing the entity that has not been verified to be in use by the entity and (ii) the second account is monitored by the verification system;

disseminating a code in a first communication from said verification system using the contact information for the entity, wherein completion of a second step of the two-step verification involves receiving the code back from the party when the party is the entity; and

verifying the party as the entity at the online site when the verification system (i) confirms that the first account is associated with the second account at the online site to complete the first step of the two-step verification and (ii) receives a second communication comprising said code to complete the second step of the two-step verification.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising monitoring the second account for association with the first account.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the action comprises at least one of sending a message from the first account to the second account, sending a friend request from the first account to the second account, and sending a follow request from the first account to the second account.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising modifying the non-transitory computer-readable medium to record the successful completion of the two-step verification by the party.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving an identifier identifying the entity and querying a database using the identifier to retrieve the contact information.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the party is unable to complete the first step of the two-step verification when the party does not have access to the first account.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the party is unable to complete the second step of the two-step verification when the party claiming to be the entity cannot receive communications that are sent to the contact information that has been previously verified for the entity.

16. A method for performing a two-step verification to verify a party claiming to be an entity at an online service provider, the method comprising:

with at least one server of a verification system having a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium;

retrieving contact information for the entity from a source that has previously verified that the contact information is usable to contact the entity;

disseminating a first sequence of alphanumeric characters as a first code to an account for the entity at the online service provider;

disseminating a different second sequence of alphanumeric character as a second code in a communication directed to the entity using the contact information;

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

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

verifying the party as the entity represented by the account at the online service provider upon completion of the first step and the second step of the two-step verification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein completing the first step of the two-step verification comprises verifying that the party has access to the account for the entity at the online service provider.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein completing the second step of the two-step verification comprises verifying that the party is the entity that is represented through the account at the online service provider.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the party cannot complete the first step of the two-step verification when the party cannot access the account for the entity at the online service provider.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the party cannot complete the second step of the two-step verification when the party is not entity and thereby cannot receive communications that are passed to the entity using the contact information that has previously verified for the entity.