Passing a trusted transaction signal

A system associated with a merchant for authenticating a transaction, between a user and the merchant, that utilizes an account, wherein a trust level is determined for the transaction, comprising:

• one or more computing devices that:
• communicate to an issuer, via a first network communication, predefined criteria indicating that a first merchant ID identifies the merchant and indicates a first trust level, and that a second merchant ID identifies the same merchant but indicates a second trust level;
• a transaction component, comprising one or more processing devices, that:
• receives a transaction request comprising an account identifier (ID), and
• provides the account ID to a risk assessment component;
• the risk assessment component, comprising one or more processing devices, that:
• responsive to receiving the account identifier, determines whether a user profile associated with the merchant, comprising a history of transactions between the user and the merchant, exists for a user associated with the account ID,
• when the user profile does not exist, then designates a first trust level as the trust level for the transaction,
• when the user profile does exist, then determines whether the trust level for the transaction is the first trust level, or a second trust, level based on the user profile, and
• provides the trust level to a notification component;
• the notification component, comprising one or more processing devices, that:
• receives the trust level,
• provides a first merchant ID that identifies the merchant, the first merchant ID assigned to represent the first trust level,
• provides a second merchant ID that identifies the merchant, the second merchant ID assigned to represent the second trust level,
• sends, via a second network communication, a transaction notification to an issuer associated with the account, wherein the transaction notification comprises a notification of the transaction and a merchant ID that identifies the merchant, wherein prior to sending the transaction notification:
• determines the merchant ID based on the predefined criteria communicated to the issuer to, wherein:
• when the trust level for the transaction is the first trust level, includes the first merchant ID that represents the first trust level for the transaction within the transaction notification as the merchant ID, and
• when the trust level for the transaction is the second trust level, includes the second merchant ID that represents the second trust level for the transaction within the transaction notification as the merchant ID.

One or more computer storage media having embodied thereon computer-usable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, implement a method of authenticating a transaction that utilizes an account, wherein a merchant-provided trust level is determined for the transaction, comprising:

• at one or more computing devices associated with a merchant:
• communicating to an issuer, via a first network communication, predefined criteria indicating that a first merchant ID identifies the merchant and indicates a first trust level, and that a second merchant ID identifies the same merchant but indicates a second trust level;
• receiving an account identifier (ID) associated with the transaction between a customer and the merchant, wherein the account ID identifies the account, and wherein the account ID is received by the merchant;
• responsive to receiving the account identifier, determining whether a user profile associated with the merchant, comprising a history of transactions between the user and the merchant, exists for a user associated with the account ID;
• when the user profile does not exist, then designating the first trust level as the trust level for the transaction;
• when the user profile does exist, then determining whether the trust level for the transaction is the first trust level, or the second trust level, based on the user profile;
• sending, via a second network communication, a transaction notification to the issuer associated with the account, wherein the transaction notification comprises a notification of the transaction and a merchant ID that identifies the merchant, wherein prior to sending the transaction notification:
• when the trust level for the transaction is the first trust level, then including the first merchant ID that represents the first trust level for the transaction within the transaction notification as the merchant ID, and
• when the trust level for the transaction is the second trust level, then including the second merchant ID that represents the second trust level for the transaction within the transaction notification as the merchant ID.