Method and apparatus for intercepting potentially fraudulent telephone calls
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. Telecommunications apparatus for selectively preventing establishment of a telephone call to a telephone number having a central office exchange code, said telecommunications apparatus being capable of transmitting a dialing sequence which includes a first plurality of dialing signals, followed by a second plurality of dialing signals followed by a third plurality of dialing signals, said telecommunications apparatus comprising:
- means for receiving said dialing sequence prior to receiving said central office exchange code;
means for evaluating said third plurality of dialing signals and for preventing establishment of said telephone call if said evaluated third plurality of dialing signals are determined to a) be in a location in said dialing sequence to accomplish international dialing and b) be respective predetermined signals which are used for international dialing irrespective of said second plurality of dialing signals.
0 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Potentially fraudulent telephone calls are intercepted from public telephones. As the digits which correspond to a telephone number are entered into a telecommunications device, each number at a particular location is compared with a predetermined number. If, according to this comparison, telephone numbers which include certain digits at particular locations in the dialing sequence are entered, the telephone call is blocked. This technique may be implemented by including appropriate software into a microprocessor controlled public telephone. For public telephones which are not microprocessor controlled, a microprocessor driven system can be interposed between the public telephone and the telecommunications line. A similar algorithm can be implemented in conjunction with a PBX system. When a PBX system is being accessed from a public telephone in order to establish a telephone call using the PBX outgoing lines, the telephone numbers which are entered into the PBX can be compared with predetermined number sequences in the manner described above. A warning signal can be generated or the call can be blocked if particular dialing sequences are entered. Velocity checking can also be implemented on any of the above systems in order to detect potentially fraudulent telephone calls.
63 Citations
49 Claims
-
1. Telecommunications apparatus for selectively preventing establishment of a telephone call to a telephone number having a central office exchange code, said telecommunications apparatus being capable of transmitting a dialing sequence which includes a first plurality of dialing signals, followed by a second plurality of dialing signals followed by a third plurality of dialing signals, said telecommunications apparatus comprising:
-
means for receiving said dialing sequence prior to receiving said central office exchange code; means for evaluating said third plurality of dialing signals and for preventing establishment of said telephone call if said evaluated third plurality of dialing signals are determined to a) be in a location in said dialing sequence to accomplish international dialing and b) be respective predetermined signals which are used for international dialing irrespective of said second plurality of dialing signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. Telecommunications apparatus for selectively enabling establishment of a telephone call to a telephone number having a central office exchange code via a communications pathway, said telecommunications apparatus being capable of transmitting a dialing sequence which includes a first plurality of dialing signals followed by a second plurality of dialing signals followed by a third plurality of dialing signals, said telecommunications apparatus comprising:
-
means for receiving said dialing sequence prior to receiving said central office exchange code; means for evaluating said third plurality of dialing signals in a location in said dialing sequence used for international dialing by determining if said third plurality of dialing signals are used to accomplish international dialing; means for transmitting said dialing sequence to said communications pathway if said evaluated third plurality of dialing signals are determined to not be predetermined signals which are used to accomplish international dialing irrespective of said second plurality of dialing signals. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. Telecommunications apparatus for preventing establishment of a telephone call to a telephone number having a central office exchange code which occurs over a communications pathway, said telecommunications apparatus being capable of transmitting a dialing sequence corresponding to said telephone number which includes a first signal value, a plurality of second signal values, and a plurality of further signal values interposed between said first signal value and said plurality of second signal values, said telecommunications apparatus comprising:
-
means for transmitting said first signal value, said plurality of second signal values and said plurality of further signal values to said communications pathway prior to transmitting signal values corresponding to said central office exchange code; means for evaluating said plurality of second signal values and for preventing establishment of said telephone call if said plurality of second signal values are determined to a) be in a location in said dialing sequence to accomplish international dialing and b) be used to accomplish international calling irrespective of said plurality of further signal values. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method for at least partially preventing operation of a telecommunications device which is capable of transmitting a plurality of signal values, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a) receiving said plurality of signal values; b) comparing at least two of said plurality of signal values respectively located at predetermined locations used for international dialing with respective predetermined digit sequences which are used for international dialing and comparing a further signal value located at a further predetermined location with a further predetermined signal value, wherein a plurality of further signal values are located between said at least two of said plurality of signal values and said further signal value; and c) at least partially preventing operation of said telecommunications device irrespective of said plurality of further signal values if said at least two of said plurality of signal values and any one of said respective predetermined digit sequences are found to be identical in step b) and if said further predetermined signal value is found to be identical to said further signal value. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A method of controlling the operation of a telecommunications device being capable of transmitting a dialing sequence which includes a first plurality of dialing signals, followed by a second plurality of dialing signals followed by a third plurality of dialing signals prior to transmitting a central office exchange, said method comprising the steps of:
-
a) receiving said dialing sequence; b) evaluating said third plurality of dialing signals; c) at least partially preventing operation of said telecommunications device irrespective of said second plurality of dialing signals if said evaluated third plurality of dialing signals are determined to a) be in location in said dialing sequence to accomplish international dialing and b) be (a one of a plurality of respectively predetermined digit sequences which are used for international dialing; and d) transmitting said dialing sequence to said communications pathway if said evaluated third plurality of dialing signals is not determined to be any one of said plurality of respectively predetermined digit sequences which is used for international dialing. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A method for at least partially preventing use of a telecommunications device, comprising the steps of:
-
a) receiving a plurality of signal values which are entered into said telecommunications device, wherein said plurality of signal values include a first group of signal values followed by a second group of signal values followed by a third group of signal values; b) comparing said received third group of signal values with a plurality of first test signal value sequences which are used for international dialing; and c) at least partially preventing use of said telecommunications device if said third group of signal values is a) in a location within said plurality of signal values which is used to accomplish international dialing and b) found to be identical to said plurality of first test signal value sequences irrespective of said second group of signal values. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
-
-
42. Apparatus, for use with a telecommunications device, for selectively preventing communications between said telecommunications device and a further telecommunications device, said apparatus comprising:
-
means for interposing said apparatus between said telecommunications device and said further telecommunications device; means for receiving a plurality of signals which are transmitted from said telecommunications device prior to said telecommunications device transmitting a further plurality of signals corresponding to a central office exchange code, said plurality of signals comprising a first plurality of signals, followed by a second plurality of signals, followed by a third plurality of signals; prevention means for selectively preventing communications between said telecommunications device and said further telecommunications device if said third plurality of signals are determined to a) be in a location within said plurality of signals which is used for accomplishing international dialing and b) include ones of a plurality of test signals which are used for accomplishing international dialing irrespective of said second plurality of signals. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
-
Specification