Surcharge violation registry

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for auditing a transaction record are provided. The transaction record may correspond to a credit card transaction. The auditing may include identifying a surcharge violation. The surcharge violation may be an unlawful surcharge. The auditing may identify patterns of double surcharging. Transaction-level auditing may include ensuring that a surcharge is returned upon a product return. A mobile wallet application may allow consumers to access and/or report merchant surcharge compliance activity. Functionality may include surcharge receipt scanning for use in crosschecking authenticity of a consumer report. Additional crosscheck functionality provided by geographic location support. Embodiments may include a registry for merchants that certify their surcharge calculations.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the code when executed by a processor causes a computer to identify a surcharge violation, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture comprising:
 computer readable program code for causing the computer to receive a surcharge violation notice from a mobile device;   computer readable program code for causing the computer to generate a surcharge record based on the surcharge violation notice, the surcharge record comprising:
 a time a surcharge was imposed; 
 a first surcharge amount added to a purchase amount; 
 a payment instrument; 
 a transaction network; 
 a merchant; and 
 a surcharge notice displayed by the merchant at the time the surcharge was imposed; 
   computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine a second surcharge amount authorized by the transaction network at the time the surcharge was imposed;   computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine a third surcharge amount displayed in the surcharge notice;   computer readable program code for causing the computer to calculate a fourth surcharge amount authorized for the payment instrument at the time the surcharge was imposed;   computer readable program code for causing the computer to identify a surcharge violation based on the surcharge record when:
 the first surcharge amount does not correspond to the second surcharge amount; 
 the first surcharge amount does not correspond to the third surcharge amount; and 
 the first surcharge amount does not correspond to the fourth surcharge amount; and 
   computer readable program code for causing the computer, in response to detection of the surcharge violation, to deny a fifth surcharge amount submitted by the merchant.   
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 15 , wherein when the surcharge violation notice includes an image, the article further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to:
 identify a plurality of segments in the image;   determine one or more surcharge attributes based on information extracted from the plurality of segments in the image;   identify the surcharge violation by comparing the one or more surcharge attributes to one or more reference attributes; and   register the surcharge violation when the one or more surcharge attributes do not correspond to the one or more reference attributes.   
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 15  further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to:
 compare a location associated with the surcharge violation notice to a merchant location; 
 identify a surcharge rule in effect during a time associated with the surcharge violation notice; and 
 register the surcharge violation when:
 the location is within a predetermined distance of the merchant location; and 
 the one or more surcharge attributes do not correspond to the surcharge rule. 
 
 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 15  wherein the surcharge violation is:
 a surcharge amount that is in breach of an agreement with one or more transaction participants; 
 an incentive offered at a point-of-sale, the incentive corresponding to a variable surcharge that is dependent on an issuer associated a payment instrument charged for the purchase amount; or 
 a double surcharge. 
 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 15  further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to transmit the surcharge violation to an online registry. 
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 15  wherein the the surcharge record comprises at least three surcharge attributes corresponding to:
 a location; 
 a time; 
 a total surcharge amount; 
 a surcharge fraction; 
 a fixed fee; 
 a purchase amount; 
 a payment instrument; and 
 a merchant; 
 
       wherein the comparing comprises comparing the at least three of the surcharge attributes to at least three surcharge reference attributes. 
     
     
         22 . The article of  claim 17 , further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to identify the one or more attributes of the surcharge record based on extracting from the image:
 a payment instrument identifier;   a merchant identifier;   a surcharge amount; and   a purchase amount.   
     
     
         23 . The article of  claim 15  wherein:
 the surcharge record comprises:
 a first surcharge cap associated with a payment instrument; 
 a second surcharge cap associated with a merchant; 
 a maximum surcharge that is equal to the lesser of the first surcharge cap or the second surcharge cap; and 
 a maximum surcharge amount based on the maximum surcharge and the purchase amount; 
 
 the comparing comprises comparing the maximum surcharge amount to a surcharge amount included in the surcharge record; and 
 the identifying the surcharge violation comprises associating the merchant with a surcharge violation when the surcharge amount exceeds the maximum surcharge amount. 
 
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 15 , further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to:
 monitor a number of surcharge violations associated with a merchant; and   determine a surcharge violation score based on the number of surcharge violations.   
     
     
         25 . The article of  claim 24 , further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine the surcharge violation score based on a ratio of:
 the number of surcharge violations detected during a pre-determined time period; and   a total number of transactions conducted by the merchant during the pre-determined time period.   
     
     
         26 . The article of  claim 15 , further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to adjust a merchant discount based on a number of identified surcharge violations. 
     
     
         27 . The article of  claim 18  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for causing the computer to determine a distance between:
 a first location determined by the mobile device; and 
 a second location derived from the surcharge violation notice; and 
 
 computer readable program code for causing the computer to register the surcharge violation when the distance is less than a threshold distance. 
 
     
     
         28 . The article of  claim 27  wherein the threshold distance corresponds to a radius extending from the second location. 
     
     
         29 . The article of  claim 27  wherein:
 the first location corresponds to a global positioning system coordinate; and 
 the second location corresponds to a street address. 
 
     
     
         30 . The article of  claim 27  wherein:
 the first location is determined by the mobile device at a time an image is captured by the mobile device; and 
 the surcharge violation notice comprises the image. 
 
     
     
         31 . The article of  claim 27  wherein the first location is determined by the mobile device at a time that payment instrument information is transmitted from the mobile device to a point-of-sale terminal of a merchant. 
     
     
         32 . The article of  claim 15  further comprising computer readable program code for causing the computer to transmit the surcharge violation to a transaction participant.