Account transaction protection is provided during the automated authorization process of a charge account, a debit account, a personal account or a business account. After a vendor asks the authorization service provider to approve a pending transaction, the authorization service provider automatically contacts an account holder asking for approval or refusal of the pending transaction. The contact is made by telephone, or computer network, such as the Internet. After entering a PIN to establish identity, the account holder approves or rejects the pending transaction after receiving a validation request message detailing the facts of the transaction. The PIN may be a normal PIN or a duress PIN. If the duress PIN is used, indicating the account holder is under duress to approve the pending transaction, the service provider notifies the authorities. Similarly, if the account holder indicates that refusal is due to unauthorized use, the service provider contacts the authorities.