System and method for detection of redial fraud in a cellular telephone system

• US 5,924,025 A
• Filed: 10/25/1996
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellular Technical Services Co., Inc. (Asensus Surgical, Inc.)
• Inventors: McKernan, Randy, Sharma, Chetan, Kaplan, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T.
• Application Number:
  US08/738,264
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/425, 455/433, 455/434, 455/435, 455/445, 340/825.31, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent

Abstract

A system analyzes telephone calls that have been determined by signature analysis to be fraudulent and stores parameter data associated with the fraudulent cell phone. During subsequent cell phone calls, the system compares the stored parameter data associated with the fraudulent cell phone to corresponding parameters from a subsequent call to determine whether the subsequent call is from the fraudulent cellular telephone. In this manner, the system may reject subsequent cellular telephone calls as fraudulent without the need for time consuming signature analysis. Parameters analyzed by the system can include the time of day of the fraudulent call, the origin from which the fraudulent call was placed, the transmitted identification numbers of the fraudulent telephone, and the destination telephone number of the fraudulent call. The system can analyze one or more of these parameters in combination to determine that the subsequent call is fraudulent.

Claims

1. A system for the detection of repeat wireless telephone fraud, the system comprising:

signature analysis means for identifying a particular wireless telephone a fraudulent based on an initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone;

a timer to determine a time at which said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone occurred;

an identification storage area to store an identification number transmitted by said fraudulent wireless telephone;

an origin data storage area to store data related to a place of origin of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone;

a destination data storage area to store destination data associated with an intended recipient of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone; and

a processor to analyze a subsequent telephone call from an unauthenticated wireless telephone, said processor denying said subsequent telephone call if said subsequent telephone call is placed within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission, if a transmitted identification from said unauthenticated wireless telephone matches said stored identification number, if a place of origin of said subsequent telephone call matches said stored place of origin, and if destination data associated with an intended recipient of said subsequent telephone transmission from said unauthenticated wireless telephone matches said stored destination data.

2. A system for the detection of repeat wireless telephone fraud, the system comprising:

signature analysis means for identifying a particular wireless telephone as fraudulent based on an initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone;

a timer to determine a time at which said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone occurred;

an identification storage area to store an identification number transmitted by said fraudulent wireless telephone;

an origin data storage area to store data related to a place of origin of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone; and

a processor to analyze a subsequent telephone communication with an unauthenticated cellular telephone, said processor denying said subsequent communication if said subsequent communication occurs within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission, if a transmitted identification from said unauthenticated cellular telephone matches said stored identification number, and if a place of origin of said unauthenticated cellular telephone matches said stored place of origin.

3. A system for the detection of repeat wireless telephone fraud, the system comprising:

signature analysis means for identifying a particular wireless telephone as fraudulent based on an initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone;

a storage area to store one or more parameters associated with said fraudulent wireless telephone; and

a processor to receive one or more parameters associated with an unauthenticated wireless telephone having a wireless communication subsequent to said initial telephone transmission, said processor denying said subsequent communication if said one or more parameters associated with said unauthenticated wireless telephone match said stored one or more parameters.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call placed from said unauthenticated wireless telephone.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call placed to said unauthenticated wireless telephone.

6. The system of claim 3, further including a timer to record a time of said initial telephone transmission as said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent communication occurs within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein an identification number transmitted by said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored in said storage area as said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent communication if an identification number transmitted by said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored identification number.

8. The system of claim 7, further including a timer to record a time of said initial telephone transmission as an additional one of said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent communication if said identification number transmitted by said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored identification number and if said subsequent communication occurs within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein data related to a place of origin of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored in said storage area as said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent communication if a place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone matches said stored place of origin.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call from said unauthenticated wireless telephone and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored in said storage area as an additional one of said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent telephone call if said place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone call matches said stored place of origin and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said subsequent telephone call from said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored destination data.

11. The system of claim 9 for use with a wireless telephone system having a plurality of cells, said stored place of origin being one of said plurality of cells, said processor analyzing said subsequent communication to determine if said place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone is said one cell and denying said subsequent communication if said place of origin is said one cell.

12. The system of claim 9 for use with a wireless telephone system having at least one cell with a plurality of sectors, said stored place of origin being one of said plurality of sectors, said processor analyzing said subsequent communication to determine if said place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone is said one sector and denying said subsequent communication if said place of origin is said one sector.

13. The system of claim 3 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call from said unauthenticated wireless telephone and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored in said storage area as said one or more parameters, said processor denying said subsequent telephone call if destination data associated with an intended recipient of said subsequent telephone call from said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored destination data.

14. The system of claim 3 wherein said signature analysis means identifies said particular wireless telephone as fraudulent a predetermined number of times based on said predetermined number of telephone transmissions from said fraudulent wireless telephone subsequent to said initial telephone transmission, said processor denying said subsequent communication if said one or more parameters associated with said unauthenticated wireless telephone match said stored one or more parameters only after said signature analysis means identifies said particular wireless telephone as fraudulent said predetermined number of times.

15. A method for the detection of repeat wireless telephone fraud, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a particular wireless telephone as fraudulent based on signature analysis of an initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone;

storing one or more parameters associated with said fraudulent wireless telephone;

receiving one or more parameters associated with a communication with an unauthenticated wireless telephone subsequent to said initial telephone transmission; and

denying said subsequent communication if said one or more parameters associated with said unauthenticated wireless telephone match said stored one or more parameters.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call placed from said unauthenticated wireless telephone.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call placed to said unauthenticated wireless telephone.

18. The method of claim 15, further including the step of recording a time of said initial telephone transmission as said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if occurring within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein an identification number transmitted by said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored as said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if an identification number transmitted by said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored identification number.

20. The method of claim 19, further including the step of recording a time of said initial telephone transmission as an additional one of said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if said identification number transmitted by said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored identification number and if said subsequent communication occurs within a predetermined period of time from said time of said initial telephone transmission.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein data related to a place of origin of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored as said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if a place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone matches said stored place of origin.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call from said unauthenticated wireless telephone and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored as an additional one of said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent telephone call denying said subsequent telephone call if said place of origin of said subsequent telephone call matches said stored place of origin and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said subsequent telephone call from said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored destination data.

23. The method of claim 21 for use with a wireless telephone system having a plurality of cells, said stored place of origin being one of said plurality of cells, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if said place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone is said one cell.

24. The method of claim 21 for use with a wireless telephone system having at least one cell with a plurality of sectors, said stored place of origin being one of said plurality of sectors, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if said place of origin of said unauthenticated wireless telephone is said one sector.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein said subsequent communication is a telephone call from said unauthenticated wireless telephone and destination data associated with an intended recipient of said initial telephone transmission from said fraudulent wireless telephone is stored as said one or more parameters, said step of denying said subsequent telephone call denying said subsequent telephone call if destination data associated with an intended recipient of said subsequent telephone call from said unauthenticated telephone matches said stored destination data.

26. The method of claim 15 wherein said step of identifying identifies said particular wireless telephone as fraudulent a predetermined number of times based on said predetermined number of telephone transmissions from said fraudulent wireless telephone subsequent to said initial telephone transmission, said step of denying said subsequent communication denying said subsequent communication if said one or more parameters associated with said unauthenticated wireless telephone match said stored one or more parameters only after said step of identifying identifies said particular wireless telephone as fraudulent said predetermined number of times.