Patent ID: 8316418

Claim:
A computer-implemented user identity authentication method comprising: presenting one or more predefined queries to an authentication subject, wherein the predefined queries are permitted by each of multiple independent, remote, third-party databases storing identifying information about the authentication subject, wherein the databases are configured to accept and process only certain predefined permitted queries received from an authorized verification engine, and the databases are not selected by the authentication subject, and wherein at least one query presented to the authentication subject requires knowledge of out-of-wallet data associated with the subject to answer the query; receiving an answer to at least one of the predefined queries from the authentication subject; transmitting at least one of the answers received from the authentication subject, combined with an indication of the corresponding permitted query, to at least one of the multiple independent databases that has corresponding identifying information; obtaining from said at least one of the multiple independent databases a corresponding authentication confidence level for each transmitted answer, wherein the multiple independent database contents are not disclosed; and combining the authentication confidence level obtained from the multiple independent databases for each answer into a combined confidence level for authenticating the authentication subject.