Patent ID: 7249093

Claim:
A method of making purchases over a computer network using an account number that identifies a consumer's account from which funds will be withdrawn to pay a purchase price and an authorization number associated with said account number which, when used with said account number, enables withdrawal of funds from said account, said method comprising the steps of: transmitting said account number over said network from a consumer location to an on-line merchant location; forwarding said account number over said network from said on-line merchant location to a third party contractor location; initiating a verification connection between said consumer location and said third party contractor location, said verification connection including a verification web browser window provided from said on-line merchant location to said consumer location to initiate said verification connection between said consumer location and said third party contractor location, said verification connection being independent of, and bypassing, said on-line merchant location; transmitting said authorization number over said verification connection from said consumer location to said third party contractor location using said verification web browser window, bypassing said on-line merchant location; and after said account number and said authorization number are received at said third party contractor location, verifying the validity of said account number and said authorization number.