Securing private user information in multi-party-hosted computing device transactions

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a server separate from a merchant server and separate from a payment processor server:

receiving data indicative of a transaction initiated by a customer from the merchant server;

generating a unique identification value for the transaction;

transmitting, to a customer's computing device, identifying information for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is unique to the transaction;

receiving a request to view a web page at the URL that is unique to the transaction; and

generating data for a hosted-pay web page unique to the transaction, the hosted-pay web page including an embedded portion that facilitates payment directly with a payment processor server and not with a merchant server.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hosted-pay web page further includes one or more visual look-and-feel elements corresponding to the merchant server, thereby creating a hosted-pay web page that appears to be provided by the merchant server but is instead provided by the server that is separate from the merchant server and separate from the payment processor server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the data indicative of the transaction comprises an originating ID that identifies an identity of the merchant operating the merchant server, and wherein the method further comprises, upon receiving the request to view the web page at the URL that is unique to the transaction:

identifying the originating ID associated with the transaction; and

retrieving data for performing the hosted pay web page for the merchant operating the merchant server, including data identifying a payment processor used by the merchant.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

generating a transaction ID value for the transaction;

generating a reference ID values for the transaction; and

embedding the reference ID value for the transaction into the URL that is unique to the transaction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a digital token from the payment processor server, the digital token being unique to the transaction; and

transmitting to the merchant server data indicating that the transaction is authorized and ready to be completed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising transmitting the digital token to the merchant server.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a server separate from a merchant server and separate from a payment processor server:

receiving, from the merchant server and for a transaction with a merchant operating the merchant server, a first portion of a customer's credit card number, the first portion including one or more numbers of the customer's credit card number but not all of the numbers of the customer's credit card number;

transmitting data to a computing device operated by the customer for rendering a web page that requests a second portion of the customer's credit card number, the second portion corresponding to the remaining one or more numbers of the customer's credit card number not specified by the first portion;

receiving, from the computing device operated by the customer, the second portion of the customer's credit card number;

transmitting, to a payment processor server, a complete version of the customer's credit card number assembled from at least the first portion and the second portion;

receiving, from the payment processor server, a digital token from the payment processor server, the digital token being unique to the transaction; and

transmitting to the merchant server data indicating that the transaction is authorized and ready to be completed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the first portion of the customer's credit card number is input by a representative, and wherein the representative is never exposed to the complete customer's credit card number.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a server separate from a merchant system/server and separate from a payment processor server:

receiving data indicative of a transaction to be closed for a customer from the merchant server;

generating a unique identification value for the transaction;

transmitting, to the merchant system/server, identifying information for a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is unique to the transaction;

receiving a request to view a web page at the URL that is unique to the transaction; and

generating data for a hosted-pay web page unique to the transaction, the hosted-pay web page including an embedded portion that facilitates payment directly with a payment processor server and not with the merchant system/server.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the identifying information is encoded in a printable or displayable code that can be optically scanned to decode the identifying information, including the URL that is unique to the transaction.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising, by the merchant system/server, displaying the code on a merchant-operated display device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the code is scanned by a computing device operated by a customer, thereby generating a link to the URL that is unique to the transaction.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the URL is transmitted to the merchant system/server, and wherein the merchant system/server encodes the identifying information, including that URL that is unique to the transaction, in a printable or displayable code.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the code is scanned by a computing device operated by a customer, thereby generating a link to the URL that is unique to the transaction.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the hosted-pay web page further includes one or more visual look-and-feel elements corresponding to the merchant server, thereby creating a hosted-pay web page that appears to be provided by the merchant server but is instead provided by the server that is separate from the merchant server and separate from the payment processor server.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the data indicative of the transaction comprises an originating ID that identifies an identity of the merchant operating the merchant server, and wherein the method further comprises, upon receiving the request to view the web page at the URL that is unique to the transaction:

identifying the originating ID associated with the transaction; and

retrieving data for performing the hosted pay web page for the merchant operating the merchant server, including data identifying a payment processor used by the merchant.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:

generating a transaction ID value for the transaction;

generating a reference ID values for the transaction; and

embedding the reference ID value for the transaction into the URL that is unique to the transaction.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving a digital token from the payment processor server, the digital token being unique to the transaction; and

transmitting to the merchant server data indicating that the transaction is authorized and ready to be completed.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting the digital token to the merchant server.