A
system and method for preventing personal
identity theft when making
online and offline purchases requires a Purchaser to first subscribe and become a Member user by registering, providing relevant personal identity information, and establishing two-way multi-factor
authentication information for security purposes. The subscribing Member provides
relevant information to any one or more financial sources (e.g.
credit card accounts,
bank accounts) that will be used to fund subsequent purchase transactions. Once registered, the Member is assigned a user name and a
password. The subscribing Member's personal identity information is then encrypted and stored at one or more highly secure locations. The ID
protection system obtains a controlled use card (CUC) through a CUC issuer on behalf of the Member for use in making each purchase transaction. The CUC is anonymous with respect to user (Member) identity and may be a purchase-specific single-use card or a multi-purpose card with no traceable connection to any other financial account. The CUC is funded by the Member's one or more financial sources, as selected by the Member. When the Member makes a secure purchase, the Merchant is presented with anonymous information (i.e. not revealing the Member's real name,
email address, billing information, etc.), except in instances where the Member's real identity information is required (e.g. airline tickets). The Merchant obtains credit approval and sends the shipping information to a shipper which independently obtains the correct shipping name and address from the ID
protection system prior to shipping the purchased product(s) to the ultimate destination selected by the
purchasing Member.