Patent ID: 8401906

Claim:
A method, for facilitating a financial transaction between a buyer and a seller, comprising: receiving, by a financial transaction authentication server, from the buyer via a buyer wireless communications terminal, a money transfer request identifying a financial account of the buyer, a financial account of the seller, and an amount to be transferred from the financial account of the buyer to the financial account of the seller; determining, by the financial transaction authentication server, in response to receiving the money transfer request from the buyer, a buyer location being a location of the buyer wireless communications terminal obtained from a global positioning system associated with the buyer wireless communications terminal; determining, by the financial transaction authentication server, in response to receiving the money transfer request from the buyer, a seller location being a location of a seller wireless communications terminal obtained from a global positioning system associated with the seller wireless communications terminal; calculating, by the financial transaction authentication server, for use subsequently in connection with the financial transaction between the buyer and the seller, a geographical proximity threshold value, wherein: calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on an ambient wireless interference condition; calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on a type of the buyer wireless communications terminal; calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on a type of the seller wireless communications terminal; calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on a particular time of day at which the money transfer request from the buyer is being received; calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on a history of use of the buyer and seller wireless communications terminals; calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on whether the buyer is a merchant; and calculating the geographical proximity threshold value comprises generating the geographical proximity threshold value based on whether the seller is a merchant; determining, in a proximity-analysis operation, whether the buyer location is within the geographical proximity threshold value of the seller location; and authorizing, by the financial transaction authentication server, in response to a positive result of the proximity-analysis operation, the money transfer request.