Method and apparatus for securing digital communications

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for identifying and minimizing the use of cloned communicating devices which communicate with a host device. The method requires that the communicating devices send a transaction specific code and an identification code, along with each communication wherein the transaction specific code changes between each communication. One communicating device, either the authentic device or a fraudulent device might communicate with the host successfully any number of times. However, when a second devices attempts communication whether that device is the authorized device or fraudulent device, the host device will receive a transaction specific code which is inconsistent or out of sequence with that expected by the host. The host device will preferably disallow all further communications involving the particular identification code until the authorized user can be contacted and the transaction specific code reset or even a new set of transaction specific codes are provided. Alternatively, upon detection of the inconsistent transaction specific code, the host computer may prompt the user for information specific to the authorized user that is not stored in the communicating device and would not be readily available to the clone device or the user of the clone device.