Money transfer fraud prevention methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11037147-B2
Application number	US-201213544564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2012
Priority date	Jul 9, 2012
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a fraud deterrent for retail money transfer or stored value product. In some embodiments, a two dimensional grid of number, letters, characters, and/or symbols can be provided retail packaging or cards that can be used as a second authentication factor in order to redeem funds. In some embodiments, methods and/or systems are also provided that associate control numbers with the grid, create the grid, provide the grid on packaging, and/or use the grid to authenticate a customer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
consequent to receiving a plurality of control numbers from a first computer system communicatively coupled via a network to an authentication computer system, for each respective control number of the plurality of control numbers:
creating, by the authentication computer system, a data structure corresponding to a respective authentication grid;
causing, by the authentication computer system, storage of data corresponding to the respective authentication grid in a database server communicatively coupled to the authentication computer system via the network at least partially by transmitting the respective authentication grid so that the respective authentication grid is stored in association with the respective control number by the database server;
causing, by the authentication computer system, printing of a respective stored value card with the respective authentication grid printed on the stored value card by a printing device of a second system communicatively coupled to the authentication computer system by the network at least partially by transmitting the respective authentication grid to the second system;

consequent to the printing of a stored value card, communicating, by the authentication computer system, with an intermediary system to facilitate authentication of the stored value card for a transaction, the intermediary system comprising a web server that controls serving of content for rendering on a user device to expose a web interface to prompt input of a control number from the stored value card;
consequent to the exposing of the web interface, receiving, by the authentication computer system, a control number via the intermediary system from the user device associated with a consumer, wherein the stored value card comprises a first authentication grid printed on the stored value card;
consequent to the receiving the control number and based at least in part on the data stored by the database server:
generating, by the authentication computer system, a hash value from the control number using a cryptographic function, wherein the hash value comprises a particular number of characters; and
producing, by the authentication computer system, a representation of the first authentication grid using the hash value, the representation of the first authentication grid comprising a plurality of non-alpha-numeric symbols corresponding to the particular number of characters and identifiable by non-alpha-numeric row and column identifiers, the non-alpha-numeric symbols repeating a number of times through the authentication grid equal to a quotient of (a) a product of a total number of rows of the authentication grid and a total number of columns of the authentication grid and (b) the particular number of characters;

identifying, by the authentication computer system, a specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and a specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier that corresponds to one or more positions on the first authentication grid printed on the stored value card;
sending, from the authentication computer system to the user device via the intermediary system, a request to provide the symbol associated with the specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and the specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier;
receiving, by the authentication computer system, a response from the intermediary system that includes a non-alpha-numeric response symbol;
comparing, by the authentication computer system, the non-alpha-numeric response symbol with the non-alpha-numeric symbol in the representation of the first authentication grid associated with the specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and the specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier; and
in an event the received non-alpha-numeric response symbol and the non-alpha-numeric symbol in the representation of the first authentication grid associated with the specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and the specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier match, authenticating, by the authentication computer system, the consumer as a holder of the stored value card.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
receiving the control number comprises receiving the control number through a web server; and
sending to the consumer the request to provide the symbol associated with the specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and the specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier comprises sending the request through the web server.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
receiving the control number comprises receiving the control number through an agent computer system; and
sending to the consumer the request to provide the symbol associated with the specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and the specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier comprises sending the request to the agent computer system.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein:
the agent computer system is located at a call center.

5. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions executable by one or more processors for at least:
consequent to receiving a plurality of control numbers from a first computer system communicatively coupled via a network to an authentication computer system, for each respective control number of the plurality of control numbers:
creating a data structure corresponding to a respective authentication grid;
causing storage of data corresponding to the respective authentication grid in a database server communicatively coupled to the authentication computer system via the network at least partially by transmitting the respective authentication grid so that the respective authentication grid is stored in association with the respective control number by the database server;
causing printing of a respective stored value card with the respective authentication grid printed on the stored value card by a printing device of a second system communicatively coupled to the authentication computer system by the network at least partially by transmitting the respective authentication grid to the second system;

consequent to the printing of a stored value card, communicating with an intermediary system to facilitate authentication of the stored value card for a transaction, the intermediary system comprising a web server that controls serving of content for rendering on a user device to expose a web interface to prompt input of a control number from the stored value card;
consequent to the exposing of the web interface, receiving a control number via the intermediary system from the user device associated with a consumer, wherein the stored value card comprises a first authentication grid printed on the stored value card;
consequent to the receiving the control number and based at least in part on the data stored by the database server:
generating a hash value from the control number using a cryptographic function, wherein the hash value comprises a particular number of characters; and
producing a representation of the first authentication grid using the hash value, the representation of the first authentication grid comprising a plurality of non-alpha-numeric symbols corresponding to the particular number of characters and identifiable by non-alpha-numeric row and column identifiers, the non-alpha-numeric symbols repeating a number of times through the authentication grid equal to a quotient of (a) a product of a total number of rows of the authentication grid and a total number of columns of the authentication grid and (b) the particular number of characters;

identifying a specific non-alpha-numeric row identifier and a specific non-alpha-numeric column identifier that corresponds to one or more positions on the first authentication grid printed on the stored value ca

Assignees

• Madden William
• Cochran Chris
• Mckernan Patty
• Western Union Co

Inventors

• Madden William
• Cochran Chris
• Mckernan Patty

Classifications

• G06Q20/4018 Primary

  using the card verification value [CVV] associated with the card · CPC title

• G06Q20/4016 Primary

  involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing · CPC title

• G06Q20/409

  Device specific authentication in transaction processing · CPC title

• G06Q20/401 Primary

  Transaction verification · CPC title