Method and system for using social networks to verify entity affiliations and identities
Login credentials for at least one website, such as a social networking website, are received from a user purporting to act on behalf of an entity, for example, in the context of registering the entity with a system for electronic bill payment. Social data relating to the entity is retrieved from the websites using the login credentials. The social data comprises a plurality of social connections, each reflecting a respective relationship between the entity and a respective third party. A plurality of relevant social connections comprising at least a subset of the plurality of social connections is determined, each social connection of the plurality of relevant social connections reflecting a relationship to a respective third party that is deemed to be reliable. A reliability rating of the entity is then determined based on the plurality of relevant social connections.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, from a user purporting to act on behalf of an entity, login credentials for at least one website, wherein the at least one website is a social networking website, and the login credentials relate to at least one account on the social networking website that is purported to be an account associated with the entity;
retrieving, using the computing device, using the login credentials, social data relating to the entity from the at least one website, the social data comprising a plurality of social connections, each of the plurality of social connections reflecting a respective relationship between the entity and a respective third party;
determining, using the computing device, a plurality of relevant social connections, the plurality of relevant social connections comprising at least a first subset of the plurality of social connections, each social connection of the first subset of the plurality of social connects reflecting a relationship to a respective third party that is deemed to be reliable; and
determining, using the computing device, a reliability rating of the entity based on the plurality of relevant social connections.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one website is a plurality of social networking websites, and the login credentials relate to a plurality of accounts on the plurality of social networking websites that are purported to be accounts associated with the entity.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a respective third party associated with a respective social connection is deemed to be reliable where the respective third party is a member of a financial service.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the respective third party has further received favorable ratings from other members of the financial service.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the respective third party has further exhibited a pattern of payment, via the financial service, to other members of the service indicating a history of on time payments.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective third party associated with the respective social connection is deemed to be reliable based on the history and current trends of the ratio of the third party's receivables and receipts to the third party's payables.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one website is a plurality of websites, the method further comprising:
identifying, using the computing device, a plurality of overlapping social connections, the plurality of overlapping social connections comprising at least a second subset of the plurality of social connections, wherein each of the second subset of the plurality of connections reflects a respective relationship to a respective third party shared by at least one other social connection of the second subset of the plurality of social connections.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein where a respective social connection of the plurality of relevant social connections is also in the plurality of overlapping social connections, the respective social connection receives an increased weight in determining the reliability rating.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reliability rating is based on a number of social connections in the plurality of relevant connections, and the reliability rating is favorable where the number of the social connections exceeds a threshold number.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reliability rating is based on percentage of the plurality of social relationships that are in the plurality of relevant social relationships, and the reliability rating is favorable where the percentage exceeds a threshold percentage.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the threshold percentage is varies based on a number of the plurality of social relationships.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, by the computing device, from the user purporting to act on behalf of an entity, a request, the request comprising a request to register the entity with a financial service, the request comprising registration information comprising the login credentials for the at least one website;
determining, using the computing device, the reliability rating of the entity is one of: favorable and unfavorable;
in response to determining the reliability rating is favorable, accepting, using the computing device, the request; and
in response to determining the reliability rating is unfavorable, rejecting, using the computing device, the request.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the entity is registered with the financial service and the request comprises a request to modify a service option of the service relating to the entity.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of relevant social connections additionally comprises at least a second subset of the plurality of social connections, each social connection of the second subset of the plurality of social connects reflecting a relationship to a respective third party that is deemed to be unreliable, wherein in the determining, the reliability rating of the entity based on the plurality of relevant social connections, a respective social connection reflecting a relationship to a third party deemed to be reliable increases the reliability rating and a respective social connection reflecting a relationship to a third party deemed to be unreliable decreases the reliability rating.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the retrieving the social data, determining the plurality of relevant social connections, and the determining a reliability rating are periodically repeated.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing, by the computing device, the login credentials to a first database in encrypted format; and
storing, by the computing device, the social data to a second database.
17. A non-transitory computer readable storage media storing thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:
receive, from a user purporting to act on behalf of an entity, login credentials for at least one website, wherein the at least one website is a social networking website, and the login credentials relate to at least one account on the social networking website that is purported to be an account associated with the entity;
retrieve, using the login credentials, social data relating to the entity from the at least one website, the social data comprising a plurality of social connections, each of the plurality of social connections reflecting a respective relationship between the entity and a respective third party;
determine, a plurality of relevant social connections, the plurality of relevant social connections comprising at least a first subset of the plurality of social connections, each social connection of the first subset of the plurality of social connects reflecting a relationship to a respective third party that is deemed to be reliable; and
determine a reliability rating of the entity based on the plurality of relevant social connections.
18. A computer system comprising:
at least one processor; and
memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to:
receive, from a user purporting to act on behalf of an entity, login credentials for at least one website, wherein the at least one website is a social networking website, and the login credentials relate to at least one account on the social networking website that is purported to be an account associated with the entity;
retrieve, using the login credentials, social data relating to the entity from the at least one website, the social data comprising a plurality of social connections, each of the plurality of social connections reflecting a respective relationship between the entity and a respective third party;
determine, a plurality of relevant social connections, the plurality of relevant social connections comprising at least a first subset of the plurality of social connections, each social connection of the first subset of the plurality of social connects reflecting a relationship to a respective third party that is deemed to be reliable; and
determine a reliability rating of the entity based on the plurality of relevant social connections.