Fraud prevention for transactions

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, and include a method for fraud prevention. A method includes receiving registration information for a user, including identities of the user and an authenticating device and a payment source identifier, and storing the registration information. A payment authorization request relating to a transaction purported to be by the user and including the payment source identifier is received. Using the payment source identifier, the identity of the user and the authenticating device is retrieved. A communication is provided to the user including transaction information. The message is delivered to the user at the authenticating device. The method also includes receiving (and subsequently forwarding) either a payment authorization or a payment repudiation responsive to the communication from the user by way of the authenticating device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 storing registration information for a user including an identity of the user, an identifier for an authenticating device associated with the user, and a payment source identifier;   determining a default notification limit associated with the user wherein the default notification limit is based credit qualifications of the user and historical transactions associated with the user that have been processed by a central service:   receiving from a third party and at the central service a transaction details for a transaction purported to be by the user, the transaction details including the payment source identifier, a transaction amount and payee information;   evaluating, by one or more processors, the stored registration information including using the received payment source identifier to locate a corresponding user and identifier for the authenticating device associated with the corresponding user in the registration information; and   comparing the transaction amount included in the transaction details to the default notification limit and when the transaction amount exceeds the default transaction limit then
 providing directly, by the central service, a communication to the corresponding user at the identified authenticating device; 
 receiving directly, at the central service, a communication from the authenticating device including either an authorization or a repudiation responsive to the communication from the corresponding user by way of the authenticating device; and 
 processing, by the one or more processors, the received authorization or repudiation including providing information indicating either the authorization or the repudiation to the third party; and 
   when the transaction amount does not exceed the default transaction then automatically approving the transaction.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the payment source identifier is a credit card number or a debit card number. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the authenticating device is a mobile telephone or a mobile computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein evaluating the registration information includes locating an identifier associated with the corresponding user and wherein the identifier is created by the user at registration. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein storing the registration information includes storing the registration information in a data structure indexed by payment source identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing the communication to the corresponding user includes providing either a telephone message, a text message, or an email message to the corresponding user, including transaction details. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein providing a communication to the corresponding user includes presenting a user interface to the corresponding user on the authenticating device that includes information for the transaction. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the information for the transaction includes transaction amount, a transaction date and time, a transaction location, a merchant name and a control for selection by the corresponding user to either accept or repudiate the transaction. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein when a repudiation is received from the corresponding user, providing an alert to a sponsor of the payment source indicating the repudiation. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein when a repudiation is received from the corresponding user, providing, by the central service, a follow up message to the corresponding user on the authenticating device including a control for linking the corresponding user to a payment source sponsor that is not the third party to enable further action related to the payment source. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the further action is the cancelling of the payment source. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the further action is the suspension of payment source. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein when a repudiation is received from the corresponding user, adding, at the central service, the merchant associated with the transaction to a list of disapproved merchants and the method further comprising using the list of disapproved merchants to either automatically repudiate future transactions or to alert the corresponding user of prior repudiated transactions when communicating to the corresponding user about a pending transaction. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the payment source identifier is a checking or savings account number. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the transaction is an automated clearing house (ACH) transaction. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein registering is performed with a payment source sponsor. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising registering the user to gather the registration information and wherein the registering is performed with a clearing house associated with the payment source. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining whether a payment authorization or repudiation has been provided, and when not provided within a predetermined amount of time since providing the communication, automatically authorizing the transaction when the transaction amount is less than a predetermined amount or is a common transaction. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising identifying common transactions including identifying the transaction as common when a user has historically made transactions with a same merchant for similar amounts in a recent past and approving common transactions without regard for the transaction notification limit or waiting for the payment authorization or repudiation or upon not receiving the payment authorization or repudiation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the predetermined amount is set based on a location or activity of the user. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising separately authorizing the transaction using a clearing service. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the authenticating device is a mobile electronic device and the payment source is a credit card or debit card, the method further comprising inhibiting the transaction when a user fails to present both the payment source and a payment authorization as displayed on the authenticating device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining a location associated with an authenticating device and a location associated with the transaction and automatically approving a given transaction without requiring separate acceptance or repudiation when the distance between the two locations is less than a predetermined amount. 
     
     
         24 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 storing registration information for a user including an identity of the user, an identifier for an authenticating device associated with the user, and a payment source identifier associated with the user;   evaluating transaction logs associated with the user to determine one or more common transactions associated with the user, a common transaction being characterized as occurring more than once in the transaction logs and having a same merchant for similar amounts in a recent past;   storing in association with the user information describing the determined common transactions for the user;   receiving from a third party and at the central service transaction details for a transaction purported to be by the user, the transaction details including the payment source identifier, a transaction amount and payee information;   evaluating, by one or more processors, the stored registration information including using the received payment source identifier to locate a corresponding user and identifier for the authenticating device associated with the corresponding user in the registration information;   locating the common transactions for the user; and   comparing the transaction details to the located common transactions and when no match is found
 providing directly, by the central service, a communication to the corresponding user at the identified authenticating device; 
 receiving directly, at the central service, a communication from the authenticating device including either an authorization or a repudiation responsive to the communication from the corresponding user by way of the authenticating device; and 
 processing, by the one or more processors, the received authorization or repudiation including providing information indicating either the authorization or the repudiation to the third party; and 
   when a match is found then automatically approving the transaction.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  wherein the similar amounts are with a transaction amount within a predefined range. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the similar amounts are a same amount.