Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

Electronic funds transfer processes are being put into place to replace the paper based check clearing process. Although ubiquitous in the business environment, facsimile transmission technology has not been used for electronic transfer of funds. Fraud prevention and uncertainties in the legal status of a facsimile transmission are among the impediments for electronic funds transfer with facsimile. The method for transferring funds from a payer to a payee comprises the steps of preparing a payment form including information for identifying an amount to be transferred, a bank of the payee and an account number of the payee, receiving and verifying a security code at an encryption unit to authorize a transmission including an encryption, preparing a facsimile transmission device to send an image of the payment form, connecting the facsimile device through the encryption unit over a communication line to a payment service provider, receiving at the payment service provider the transmission including an encryption, and sending a confirmation message to the facsimile device that the transmission has been correctly received, decrypting the encryption at the payment service provider, determining whether the encryption was authentically generated by the payer, extracting the identifying information from the facsimile transmission, and generating an electronic funds transfer request based on the identifying information provided that the encryption is determined to be authentic.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim