Verizon Business Global LLC

Worldcom, Inc.

Mci, Inc.

Mci Worldcom, Inc.

Other

Mci Communications Corporation

Arthur Lance Springer

Dean C Marchand

John Hans Van Arkel

Matthew J Gilbert

Thomas E Stepp

Saralyn M Mahone

Jeffrey D Cahill

David K Vognsen

Michael F Caslin

Michael Caslin

Lawrence Richard Smith

Daniel Roberts

Nancy McCoy

Lauretta Lange

An approach provides detection of unauthorized use of data services. The number of data calls for access to a data network is tracked over a predetermined time period, and the cumulative duration of the data calls is determined. Thereafter, a determination is made as to whether the number of the data calls and the cumulative duration satisfy, respectively, a first threshold and a second threshold. A potential fraudulent use of the account is determined, if the thresholds are satisfied.

Method and apparatus for providing fraud detection using connection frequency and cumulative duration thresholds

A method and device for preventing fraud in collect calls from a domestic origin point to an international terminating point through a long-distance telecommunications system is described. In the system and method, a Screening for International Calls database is added to the call processing platform. This Screening of International Calls database contains records keyed by country codes, and each record has a blocked collect call field listing destination numbers that are blocked from receiving collect calls. When a domestic-to-international collect call is made, the record corresponding to the country code of the international terminating point of the collect call is retrieved from the Screening for International Calls database. This record is checked to determine if the destination number of the collect call matches any destination numbers listed in the blocked collect call field of the country code database record. If there is a match, the call is blocked.

Domestic to international collect call blocking

An approach provides fraud detection in support of data communication services. A list of single-event attributes (e.g., hot or cold attributes) is generated and includes a network address of an end user host originating a data call or a calling party identification (e.g., Automatic Number Identification (ANI) or an originating Calling Line Identification (CLI)) for network access, wherein entries of the list specify values of the hot attributes. An attribute value associated with the data call is compared with the entries. A fraud alert is generated if the attribute value matches one of the entries.

Method and apparatus for providing fraud detection using hot or cold originating attributes

An approach provides detection of unauthorized use of data services. A determination is made as to whether connections supporting remote access to a data network are completed. The number of completed connections associated with a selected attribute is tracked over a time period. It is then determined whether the number of completed connections satisfies a connection frequency threshold. A fraud alert is generated if the connection frequency threshold is satisfied.

Method and apparatus for providing fraud detection using connection frequency thresholds

An approach provides fraud detection in support of data communication services. A usage pattern associated with a particular account for remote access to a data network is monitored. The usage pattern is compared with a reference pattern specified for the account. A fraud alert is selectively generated based on the comparison.

Method and system for providing fraud detection for remote access services

An approach provides fraud detection in support of data communication services. A threshold corresponding to a geographic location is set. The threshold corresponds to duration of a call supporting data communications. It is determined whether the call duration exceeds the threshold. A fraud alert is generated if the monitored call duration exceeds the threshold.

Method and apparatus for providing fraud detection using geographically differentiated connection duration thresholds

An approach provides detection of unauthorized use of data services. A fraud case is created for a data call that is determined to be potentially fraudulent based on a fraud alert. A fraud score is determined for the case according to the fraud alert. The fraud score is adjusted according to adjustment criteria including an intermediate network involved with the data call, and an originating country of the data call.

Method and system for prioritizing cases for fraud detection

A method and device for preventing fraud in international calls in a long-distance telecommunications system, where selected customers can avoid fraud control blocks and greater granularity is achieved in blocking international destinations. In the method and device, an override flag is created in the records of the Billing Number Screening (BNS) database. When a call is made using a billing number whose corresponding record has the override flag set, the call is not stopped by fraud control blocks on certain international destinations. In addition, international destinations can be blocked with greater specificity because a Country Set Logic (CSET) field is added to the International City Code Database. The addition of CSET to this database allows particular international city destinations to be blocked from certain origin points.

Domestic origination to international termination country set logic

A fraud monitoring system is disclosed for a communications system. The fraud monitoring system analyzes records of usage activity in the system and applies fraud pattern detection algorithms to detect patterns indicative of fraud. The fraud monitoring system advantageously accommodates transaction both records resulting from control of a packet-switched network and those from a circuit-switched network gateway.

Communications system with fraud monitoring

A device and method of intercepting in-progress calls whose billing numbers have been marked fraudulent subsequent to the initial authorization and validation of the same in-progress calls. The device and method uses criteria to define certain calls as &ldquo;suspect&rdquo; and parks all suspect calls after the initial call processing. Because the suspect calls are parked and not released to the general switching elements of the telephone network, the suspect calls can be torn down if the associated billing number is marked fraudulent after call processing. The criteria can maintain a fine granularity by using various Call Park Flags in various databases. In addition, the suspect calls can remain parked for varying amounts of time based on the category and type of call.

ISN call interrupt

A method for using at least one Bad Billed Number Record (BBN) to detect fraud in a telecommunication system includes the steps of generating the at least one BBN for each call attempt made using a billing product, when the call attempt satisfies any one of a plurality of fraud criteria; storing the at least one BBN in a storage queue for later retrieval; and retrieving and analyzing the at least one BBN to increment a plurality of fraud control counters according to the analysis. A system for using a plurality of BBNs to detect fraud in a telecommunications system includes a network operator service platform (OSP) for generating BBNs based on received call attempts; a network information concentrator (NIC) for temporarily storing the generated BBNs; and a fraud monitoring system for retrieving the stored BBNs, filtering out unidentifiable BBNs, analyzing identifiable BBNs, and generating alarms based on the analysis.

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Waterloo, IA, United States of America

Arthur Lance Springer