SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENHANCED FRAUD DETECTION IN AUTOMATED ELECTRONIC CREDIT CARD PROCESSING

A method and system for authorizing an electronic credit card transaction having enhanced measures for detecting fraudulent transactions. A user at a remote terminal attempting to conduct an electronic credit card transaction is prompted to input the user's credit card information, address, and social security number. The information input by the user is retrieved and used for identification purposes. Initially, the input credit card information is submitted to an issuer of the user's credit card to determine whether the input credit card information is valid. The social security number input by the user is next checked to determine if it corresponds to the user. A database having a stored list of social security numbers is accessed, wherein each of the stored social security numbers includes at least one address stored therewith corresponding to an address of an individual identified by the respective social security number. The addresses stored in association with the input social security number are retrieved and compared with the input address to determine if the input address corresponds to any of the retrieved stored addresses. If the input credit card information has been confirmed by the issuer as being valid and the address input by the user matches any of the retrieved addresses stored in association with the input social security number, the electronic credit card transaction is authorized and allowed to transpire. The social security number database is stored and accessed separately from the issuer's credit card information database to provide an added measure of protection against a person fraudulently gaining access to one of the databases, since access to the information in both databases is required to complete the financial transaction.