Patent ID: 8762529

Claim:
A method for verifying identity and current residence information in a web-based service, comprising: receiving, from a sender, name and physical address information associated with a customer of the sender; upon verifying the name and physical address information received from the sender, generating a data object that securely associates the name and physical address information with a communication channel associated with the customer; generating a message that includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having the data object embedded therein; upon receipt of data indicating selection of the URL by the customer, the data including the data object, providing the customer with a registration page requesting entry by the customer of the name and physical address information, wherein the existence of the name and physical address information received from the sender is not exposed to the customer; upon subsequent receipt of the registration page with customer-entered name and physical address information, using the data object to link the customer-entered name and physical address information from the registration page to the name and physical address information received from the sender; verifying, using software executing in a hardware element, that the customer-entered name and physical address information from the registration page matches the name and physical address information received from the sender; and upon verification, enabling the customer to access a content repository.