초록 ▼

A method and apparatus for fraud control in cellular telephone systems. Call records from a switch are scanned to identify a fraudulent cellular phone based on its behavior. An identifier, e.g., a radio frequency (RF) signature, representative of the fraudulent phone is stored in a control channel e

A method and apparatus for fraud control in cellular telephone systems. Call records from a switch are scanned to identify a fraudulent cellular phone based on its behavior. An identifier, e.g., a radio frequency (RF) signature, representative of the fraudulent phone is stored in a control channel editor at a cell site. A database of identifiers may comprise a positive validation database storing the identifiers for all valid phones used in the cellular telephone system, or it may be a negative validation database storing the identifiers for known fraudulent phones. A control channel editor intercepts a call origination request transmitted by a phone, and a control processor compares one or more characteristics of the phone transmitting the call origination request to the database of identifiers. The control processor then prevents the call origination request from completing when the comparison indicates that the phone is fraudulent. The call origination request can be prevented from completing by (1) re-routing the call to a customer service or “fraud hot line”number, (2) interrupting the call origination request, (3) transmitting a “hang-up”message to the phone, (4) transmitting a “hang-up”message to the cell site, or (5) transmitting a “tear-down”message to a switch.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of preventing fraudulent calls in a cellular telephone system, comprising the steps of: (a) scanning call records from the cellular telephone system; (b) analyzing characteristics from the scanned call records to identify a fraudulent cellular telephone; (c) storing a called number previous

A method of preventing fraudulent calls in a cellular telephone system, comprising the steps of: (a) scanning call records from the cellular telephone system; (b) analyzing characteristics from the scanned call records to identify a fraudulent cellular telephone; (c) storing a called number previously received from the fraudulent cellular telephone in an electronic memory; (d) receiving a call request from a cellular telephone, wherein the call request comprises a called number and a calling number; and (e) preventing the call request from completing when the called number of the request matches the called number previously received from the fraudulent cellular telephone and stored in the electronic memory.