Patent ID: 6857073

Claim:
A method of granting or denying an authentication mechanism online and in real time by a host system, comprising: (a) first querying a user, who is operating a user system, about a first type of information; (b) determining the extent to which the user correctly answers the first query; (c) if the user sufficiently correctly answers the first query, second querying the user utilizing credit related information about the user wherein credit related information: (i) is stored on a credit reporting system other than the user system or the host system; and (ii) originates from a plurality of the user's creditors who report to the credit reporting system credit related information about the user; (d) in real time, determining the extent to which the user correctly answers the second query; and (e) in real time and on-line, determining whether to grant or deny the user an authentication mechanism based at least part on the extent to which the user correctly answers the second query.