Anti-spoofing techniques for outbound telephone calls

• US 10,462,292 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2019
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Relay Inc. (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Original Assignee: Republic Wireless, Inc. (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Inventors: Stephens, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh Kien
• Application Number:
  US16/453,276
• Time in Patent Office: 125 Days
• Field of Search: 37914201, 37914204, 37914205, 37922001, 37922005, 379245, 37922105
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6027 Fraud preventions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for verifying a caller ID field of an outbound telephone call. A termination service provider call server receives a call request from a calling endpoint. The call request includes a called endpoint telephone number, and a caller ID telephone number. The call request is forwarded to an inbound carrier call server servicing the called endpoint telephone number where it determines the termination service provider for the caller ID telephone number and sends a query back to the determined termination service provider to determine whether the caller ID telephone number is currently in use. The query includes the caller ID telephone number. The termination service provider call server determines whether the caller ID telephone number in the received query is currently in use. If the caller ID telephone number is not currently in use, it returns a fail message to the inbound carrier call server. If the caller ID telephone number is currently in use, it returns a pass message to the inbound carrier call server only if the caller ID telephone number has been currently in use for less than a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A method of verifying a caller ID field of an outbound telephone call, the method comprising:

receiving a query from an inbound carrier call server in a termination service provider call server, the query including a caller ID telephone number associated with the outbound telephone call received by the inbound carrier call server where the outbound telephone call identified the termination service provider call server as the source of the outbound telephone call;

determining whether the caller ID telephone number in the received query is currently in use;

if the caller ID telephone number is not currently in use, returning a fail message to the inbound carrier call server;

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for greater than a predetermined amount of time, returning a fail message to the inbound carrier call server; and

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for less than the predetermined amount of time, returning a pass message to the inbound carrier call server.

2. The method of claim 1, the predetermined amount of time equal to two seconds.

3. The method of claim 1, the predetermined amount of time equal to three seconds.

4. The method of claim 1, the predetermined amount of time equal to five seconds.

5. A system configured to verify a caller ID field of an outbound telephone call, comprising a termination service provider call server, the termination service provider call server comprising one or more processors configured to execute instructions to:

receive a query from an inbound carrier call server, the query including a caller ID telephone number associated with the outbound telephone call received by the inbound carrier call server where the outbound telephone call identified the termination service provider call server as the source of the outbound telephone call;

determine whether the caller ID telephone number in the received query is currently in use;

if the caller ID telephone number is not currently in use, return a fail message to the inbound carrier call server;

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for greater than a predetermined amount of time, return a fail message to the inbound carrier call server; and

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for less than the predetermined amount of time, return a pass message to the inbound carrier call server.

6. The system of claim 5, the predetermined amount of time equal to two seconds.

7. The system of claim 5, the predetermined amount of time equal to three seconds.

8. The system of claim 5, the predetermined amount of time equal to five seconds.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions executable in a termination service provider call server that when executed enable processing circuitry to execute instructions to verify a caller ID field of an outbound telephone call, the instructions to:

receive a query from an inbound carrier call server, the query including a caller ID telephone number associated with the outbound telephone call received by the inbound carrier call server where the outbound telephone call identified the termination service provider call server as the source of the outbound telephone call;

determine whether the caller ID telephone number in the received query is currently in use;

if the caller ID telephone number is not currently in use, return a fail message to the inbound carrier call server;

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for greater than a predetermined amount of time, return a fail message to the inbound carrier call server; and

if the caller ID telephone number is currently in use and has been for less than the predetermined amount of time, return a pass message to the inbound carrier call server.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the predetermined amount of time equal to two seconds.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the predetermined amount of time equal to three seconds.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, the predetermined amount of time equal to five seconds.