Financial transactions conducted by use of payment mechanisms (e.g., credit cards, debit cards, etc.) are prone to significant fraud. For example, an offender can acquire fraudulently the details on a magnetic stripe of a credit card from a cardholder to create one or more counterfeit cards. The offender can utilize the counterfeit cards to make a considerable amount of purchases before anyone discovers the fraud. Fraudulent activities often compromise confidential information and cause substantial financial damages for both the cardholder and the merchants involved. Additionally, fraudulent activities are costly to financial institution parties (e.g., banks, card issuers, etc.). Not only are the parties financially responsible for the damages, they also lose the confidence and trust of their consumers.
Various solutions are in place to address fraud, such as personal identification number (“PIN”) or automated analysis of spending patterns. However, such solutions can lack reliability and/or real-time application, as the fraud may be discovered too late to prevent the damages done.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds