Method for communicating a reference number over non-secure networks

摘要

A method for communicating a reference number related to the purchaser's account between a customer and a merchant over a network. When completing a purchase order, the purchaser data and a predefined subset (3) of the reference number are received via a first connection (1) over a network by a computer system (6) of the merchant at the remote location (10). The information received via the first connection (1) is stored in a storage means (5) at the remote location (10). Via a second connection (13) over a network supplementary reference number digits (4) are received by an order handling system (7) at the remote location (10). An identification code (8) can be used to associate the information received via the second connection with the information received via the first connection. Concatenating both information elements results in the complete reference number.