Systems and methods for authenticating parties engaging in a financial transaction

A method for authenticating parties engaging in a financial transaction using a remote input device in communication with a financial transaction payment system, the payment system coupled to a database, the parties including a customer registered with the payment system, said method comprising:

• performing a first authentication including receiving at the payment system a unique identifier entered by the customer with the remote input device and matching the entered unique identifier to data stored within the database, wherein the unique identifier was previously assigned to the customer;
• performing a second authentication including transmitting from the payment system to the remote input device an authentication sound previously selected by the customer and stored in the database;
• and
• performing a third authentication including receiving at the payment system identifying information entered by the customer with the remote input device and matching the entered identifying information to data stored within the database.

A system for authenticating parties engaging in a financial transaction, the parties including a customer, wherein said system comprises:

• a remote input device;
• a database for storing information;
• and
• a payment system coupled to said database and said remote input device, said payment system configured to:
• store within said database an authentication sound selected by the customer and a unique identifier assigned to the customer,
• receive from said remote input device the unique identifier to authenticate the customer, and
• transmit the authentication sound to said remote input device for the customer to hear the authentication sound to authenticate said payment system to the customer.

A computer-readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for authenticating parties engaging in a transaction, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

• storing within a database an authentication sound selected by a first party and a unique identifier assigned to the first party;
• receiving from a remote input device the unique identifier to authenticate the first party to a transaction computer system;
• and
• transmitting the authentication sound from the transaction computer system to the remote input device for the first party to hear the authentication sound to authenticate the transaction computer system to the first party.