Patent ID: 8423467

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: generating, by at least one computing device, a first shadow account number associated with a financial account of a user; associating, by the at least one computing device, the first shadow account number with a first merchant such that the first shadow account number is valid for use in a transaction generated by the first merchant but is not valid for use in a transaction generated by a second merchant; providing, by the at least one computing device, the first shadow account number to the first merchant; generating, by the at least one computing device, a second shadow account number that is also associated with the financial account of the user; associating, by the at least one computing device, the second shadow account number with the second merchant such that the second shadow account number is valid for use in a transaction generated by the second merchant but is not valid for use in the transaction generated by the first merchant; and providing, by the at least one computing device, the second shadow account number to the second merchant.