Patent ID: 7636679

Claim:
A method for performing a remittance transaction from a sender to a recipient through a computerized network of user-accessible terminals, comprising: using a first terminal to read first embedded identification information from a first official identification document submitted by the sender, the first embedded identification information including an official identification document number, and either a country or state that issued the official identification document; using said embedded first identification information to authenticate the identity of the sender; collecting funds from the sender after the identity of the sender has been thus authenticated; causing the sender to enter recipient identification information and other transactional details for said remittance transaction; assigning a transaction identification number to said remittance transaction by a respective computer system, the transaction identification number incorporating an identification of the respective computer system; storing the transaction identification number, the authenticated sender identity, the recipient identification information and the other transactional details, into a first transactional database of a first computer system; performing anti-terrorist financing measures based upon the authenticated sender identity and the recipient identification information; always requiring a claimant to use a second terminal to read second embedded identification information within a second official identification document submitted by the claimant, the second terminal being connected to a second computer system; using said embedded second identification information to authenticate the identity of the claimant; prompting the claimant to identify the previously assigned transaction identification number after the claimant's identity has been authenticated; using the transaction identification number identified by the claimant to route a payment request from the second terminal to the first computer system to retrieve any recipient identification information and other transactional details associated with said identified identification number; verifying that the second embedded identification information obtained from the claimant matches the retrieved recipient identification information associated with the identified transaction identification number; and if the embedded second identification information matches said retrieved recipient identification information, delivering funds to the claimant in accordance with the retrieved transactional details, whereby a sender and a recipient on different networks can complete a transaction using a transaction identification number that identifies the computer system responsible for the transaction initiated by the sender.