Patent ID: 8352369

Claim:
A computer system for verifying a commercial transaction between a user with account information and a merchant, said computer system comprising: a processing unit for processing data and code; and memory for storing said data and said code, said data and said code comprising a merchant communications module operative to facilitate a connection with said merchant for receiving a transaction approval request, said transaction approval request including information to identify an account-holder associated with said account information, a pre-verification condition associated with said account-holder, said pre-verification condition defining a pre-verified circumstance when account-holder verification of said transaction approval request is not needed if said transaction approval request satisfies said pre-verification condition, an account-holder communications module operative to facilitate a separate connection with said account-holder for said account-holder to verify said transaction approval request, and to set said pre-verification condition, so that said account-holder can specify the circumstances when account-holder verification is not needed, an authorization module responsive to said transaction approval request and operative to compare said transaction approval request with said pre-verification condition, to verify said transaction approval request without obtaining verification from said account-holder if said pre-verification condition is satisfied, to verify said transaction approval request with said account-holder via said account-holder communications module if said pre-verification condition is not satisfied, and to issue an approval to said merchant only if said transaction approval request is verified; and wherein said authorization module includes an interactive verification module operative to wait for said account-holder to initiate said connection with said account-holder communication module, any prior notification to said account-holder regarding said transaction approval request being disabled.