an apparatus and method for verifying the legitimacy of a financial instrument used by a shopper is disclosed . a seller accepts details about goods and services to be delivered , and information about a financial instrument to be used in a purchase by a shopper . identifier information is send to a financial institution issuing the instrument . the legitimate user of the instrument must access the instruments issuer &# 39 ; s database to obtain the identifier information and derive verification information needed to answer a question posed by the seller . if the shopper can prove possession of the verification information then the goods are shipped or delivered to the shopper and payment is settled . the questions used to prove the shopper has the verification information may come in a variety of forms such as simple math equations , anagrams , or word to symbol matching problems . in each case , the answer may be chosen from a set of displayed results via a computer network thereby eliminating the need for typing by the owner / shopper .