SYSTEM-BASED DETECTION OF CARD SHARING AND FRAUD

• US 20170270497A1
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsou, Victor, McCormick, Damon, Hawthorne, Kathryne, Fineberg, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,628,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules

Abstract

This disclosure describes, in part, a payment service that associates customer profiles with an identifier of a payment instrument, and then uses the customer profiles to identify a customer that is using the payment instrument during a transaction with a merchant. For instance, in some examples, the payment service can identify preferences of customers using transaction information that includes an identifier for a payment instrument, and associate the preferences with respective customer profiles. The payment service can then receive transaction information associated with a transaction between a customer and a merchant, identify preferences of the customer using the transaction information, compare the preferences of the customer with preferences stored in the customer profiles, and identify the customer based on the comparing. The payment service can further generate a receipt for the transaction and send the receipt to contact information of the customer.

Claims

1. A payment system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first request to authorize an account associated with a payment instrument for a first cost of a first item acquired by a first customer from a first merchant;

identifying, from the first request, first preferences of the first customer, the first preferences including at least a first item preference, a first time preference, and a first location preference of the first customer;

associating the first preferences with a first customer profile of the first customer, wherein the first customer profile is associated with an identifier of the payment instrument and includes first contact information for the first customer;

receiving a second request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a second cost of a second item acquired by a second customer from a second merchant;

identifying, from the second request, second preferences of the second customer, the second preferences including at least a second item preference, a second time preference, and a second location preference of the second customer;

associating the second preferences with a second customer profile of the second customer, wherein the second customer profile is associated with the identifier of the payment instrument and includes second contact information for the second customer;

receiving a third request to authorize the payment instrument for a third cost of a third item from a third merchant;

attempting to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for the third cost of the third item;

receiving an indication that the account associated with the payment instrument is authorized for the third cost of the third item;

generating a receipt for the third cost of the third item;

identifying one or more preferences associated with the third request, the one or more preferences including at least one of a type of the third item, a time of the third request, or a location of the third merchant;

comparing the one or more preferences associated with the third request with the first preferences included in the first customer profile and with the second preferences included in the second customer profile;

identifying, based at least in part on the comparing, that the third request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument is associated with the first customer; and

sending the receipt to the first contact information for the first customer.

2. A payment system as recited in claim 1, wherein the comparing comprises:

comparing at least one of the type of the third item, the time of the third request, or the location of the third merchant with the first item preference, the first time preference, or the first location preference, respectively; and

comparing at least one of the type of the third item, the time of the third request, or the location of the third merchant with the second item preference, the second time preference, or the second location preference, respectively.

3. A payment system as recited in claim 1, wherein before receiving the first and second requests, the operations further comprise:

receiving the second contact information for the first customer;

generating the first customer profile for the first customer;

storing the first contact information for the first customer in the first customer profile;

receiving the second contact information for the second customer;

generating the second customer profile for the second customer; and

storing the second contact information for the second customer in the second customer profile.

4. A payment system as recited in claim 1, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from a device associated with the first customer and at a time of the third request, an indication of a current geographic location of the device; and

determining that the current geographic location of the device is within a threshold distance of a geographic location of the third merchant,

and wherein the identifying that the third request to authorize the payment instrument is associated with the first customer is further based on determining that the current geographic location of the device is within the threshold distance of the geographic location of the third merchant.

5. A payment system as recited in claim 1, the operations further comprising associating the one or more preferences associated with the third request with the first customer profile.

6. A method comprising:

storing first information associated with a first customer in a first customer profile, the first customer profile being associated with an identifier of a payment instrument;

storing second information associated with a second customer in a second customer profile, the second customer profile being associated with the identifier of the payment instrument;

receiving a request to authorize an account associated with the payment instrument for a cost of a transaction;

generating a receipt for the transaction;

identifying one or more preferences associated with the request;

comparing the one or more preferences associated with the request with the first information stored in the first customer profile and with the second information stored in the second customer profile;

identifying, based at least in part on the comparing, that the request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument is associated with the first customer; and

sending the receipt to contact information for the first customer.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, from a first merchant device associated with a first merchant, a first request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a cost of a first transaction;

identifying, based at least in part on the first request, the first information associated with the first customer, the first information including at least one of a first item preference, a first time preference, or a first location preference of the first customer;

receiving, from the first merchant device or a second merchant device associated with a second merchant, a second request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a cost of a second transaction; and

identifying, based at least in part on the second request, the second information associated with the second customer, the second information including at least one of a second item preference, a second time preference, or a second location preference of the second customer.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more preferences associated with the request include at least one of a type of the item, a time of the request, or a location associated with the request, and wherein the comparing comprises:

comparing at least one of the type of the item, the time of the request, or the location associated with the request with the first item preference, the first time preference, or the first location preference, respectively; and

comparing at least one of the type of the item, the time of the request, or the location associated with the request with the second item preference, the second time preference, or the second location preference, respectively.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the first information associated with the first customer, the first information including at least the contact information for the first customer;

based at least in part on the receiving of the first information, generating the first customer profile for the first customer;

receiving the second information associated with the second customer, the second information including at least contact information for the second customer; and

based at least in part on the receiving of the second information, generating the second customer profile for the second customer.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the request to authorize the payment instrument is received from a merchant device associated with a merchant, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining a geographical location of the merchant;

receiving, from a device associated with the first customer, an indication of a current geographic location of the device; and

determining that the current geographic location of the device is within a threshold distance of the geographic location of the merchant,

and wherein the identifying that the request to authorize the payment instrument is associated with the first customer is further based on determining that the current geographic location of the device is within the threshold distance of the geographic location of the merchant.

11. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

the first information includes at least one of an age of the first customer, a gender of the first customer, or an education level of the first customer;

the second information includes at least one of an age of the second customer, a gender of the second customer, or an education level of the second customer; and

the one or more preferences associated with the request indicate that the item is acquired more often by customers that include the age of the first customer, the gender of the first customer, or the education level of the first customer.

12. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

receiving an additional request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a cost of an additional transaction;

identifying one or more preferences associated with the additional request;

comparing the one or more preferences associated with the additional request with the first information included in the first customer profile and with the second information included in the second customer profile;

determining that the additional request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument is not associated with the first customer or the second customer; and

determining that the additional request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument is fraudulent.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

generating an alert associated with the additional request; and

sending the alert to at least one of the contact information of the first customer or contact information of the second customer.

14. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

collecting, based at least in part on a first transaction of a first customer using a payment instrument, first preferences for the first customer;

collecting, based at least in part on a second transaction of a second customer using the payment instrument, second preferences for the second customer;

receiving, from a merchant device associated with a merchant, a request to authorize an account associated with the payment instrument for a cost of a third transaction;

generating a receipt for the third transaction;

identifying one or more preferences associated with the request;

identifying, based at least in part on the first preferences and the second preferences, that the request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument is associated with the first customer; and

sending the receipt to contact information of the first customer.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from a first merchant device associated with a first merchant, a first request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a first cost of the first transaction;

identifying, based at least in part on the first request, the first preferences, the first preferences including at least one of a first item preference, a first time preference, or a first location preference of the first customer;

storing data indicating the first preferences in a first customer profile of the first customer, wherein the first customer profile is associated with the payment instrument;

receiving, from a second merchant device associated with a second merchant, a second request to authorize the account associated with the payment instrument for a second cost of the second transaction;

identifying, based at least in part on the second request, the second preferences, the second preferences including at least one of a second item preference, a second time preference, or a second location preference of the second customer; and

storing data indicating the second customer preferences in a second customer profile of the second customer, wherein the second customer profile is associated with the payment instrument.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, wherein the one or more preferences associated with the request include at least one of a type of the item, a time of the request, or a location of the merchant, and wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing at least one of the type of the item, the time of the request, or the location of the merchant with the first item preference, the first time preference, or the first location preference, respectively; and

comparing at least one of the type of the item, the time of the request, or the location of the merchant with the second item preference, the second time preference, or the second location preference, respectively.

17. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

generating a first customer profile for the first customer;

associating an identifier the payment instrument with the first customer profile;

receiving the contact information for the first customer;

storing data indicating the first preferences and the contact information for the first customer and in the first customer profile;

generating a second customer profile for the second customer;

associating an identifier of the payment instrument with the second customer profile;

receiving contact information for the second customer; and

storing data indicating the second preferences and the contact information for the second customer in the second customer profile.

18. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from an electronic device associated with the first customer and at a time of the request, an indication of a current geographic location of the electronic device; and

determining that the current geographic location of the electronic device is within a threshold distance of a geographical location of the merchant,

and wherein the identifying that the request to authorize the payment instrument is associated with the first customer is further based on the determining.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, the operations further comprising:

storing data indicating the first preferences in a first customer profile associated with the first customer; and

storing data indicating the one or more preferences associated with the request in the first customer profile.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14, wherein the receipt includes a link to redirect the receipt to contact information for the second customer.