Patent ID: 7716055

Claim:
Apparatus for verifying that at least one consumer seeking to conduct at least one transaction with at least one merchant using at least one account is authorized to use the at least one account, the at least one account being identified by an account number, the apparatus comprising at least the following: at least one voice response unit configured to receive the at least one account number and at least one test voice print associated with the at least one consumer; storage medium configured to receive the at least one account number and return at least one control voice print associated with the at least one account number; voice print comparator configured to compare the at least one test voice print to the at least one control voice print and to return at least one match level signal indicating a degree of match therebetween; wherein the at least one voice response unit is further configured to notify the merchant whether the at least one consumer is authorized to use the at least one account, the verification signal being responsive to the at least one match level signal; and wherein the at least one voice response unit is configured to obtain the at least one test voice print during a telephone-based transaction between the at least one consumer and the merchant.