Systems and methods for verifying identities

Abstract

A method for verifying the identity of one party on behalf of another party is provided. The method includes providing a money-transfer system and a communication system that communicates with the money-transfer system; receiving at the money-transfer system from the first party certain verification criteria for confirming the identity of a second party; and storing the verification criteria in the host computer system of the money-transfer system. When an ID is received from the second party at a money-transfer location; the verification criteria is retrieved from the host computer system; and the acceptability of the ID is determined in accordance with the verification criteria. If the identification device is acceptable, identification information is obtained from the identification device; and the identification information is processed to verify the identity of the second party.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for verifying the identity of a second party on behalf of a first party, the method comprising:
 receiving from the first party, by a computer system, verification criteria for verifying the identity of the second party, wherein the verification criteria specifies at least a verification procedure and a type of identification that is acceptable for use in the verification procedure;   transmitting, by the computer system, the verification criteria to an associate location;   performing, at the associate location, the verification procedure specified by the verification criteria using an identification document presented by the second party; and   determining, with the computer system, that the identification document presented by the second party satisfies the verification criteria received from the first party.