Cellular fraud prevention using selective roaming

• US 6,058,301 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Airtouch Communications, Inc. (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Daniels, David Leighton
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US08/758,593
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/418, 455/422, 455/432, 455/433, 379/189, 380/23, 380/25, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A method of preventing roaming fraud in cellular telephone systems using different levels of roaming privileges for individual subscribers. When the subscriber initiates a call in a foreign service area that exceeds their roaming privileges, an authentication method is used to verify the identity of the roaming subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone in a foreign service area;

(b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone exceeds a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the determining step comprising the step of checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the database comprising a Home Locator Register (HLR) for storing roaming information for subscribers of the home service area;

(c) authenticating the cellular phone using secondary identification data when the call attempt exceeds the roaming privilege for the cellular phone; and

(d) authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone at the authenticating step.

2. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the roaming information comprises the roaming privileges.

3. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the roaming information comprises the secondary identification data for the subscriber.

4. The method of claim 1 above, further comprising denying access to the cellular service if the cellular phone has no roaming priviledge.

5. The method of claim 1 above, further comprising allowing access to the cellular service if the cellular phone has not exceeded its roaming privilege.

6. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the authenticating step comprises the steps of:

determining that the cellular phone does not have sufficient roaming privileges, but is not prevented from roaming; and

transmitting an authentication request signal to the foreign service area, wherein the foreign service area performs the authentication step using the secondary identification data to authorize the call attempt.

7. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the authenticating step comprises the steps of forwarding the call attempt to the foreign service area and verifying that the foreign service area authorized the call attempt.

8. The method of claim 1 above, wherein the authorizing step comprises the step of authorizing the providing of service to the cellular phone for a specified amount of time.

9. A method for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone in a home service area;

(b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone exceeds a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the determining step comprising the step of checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the database comprising a Visitor Locator Register (VLR) for storing roaming information for subscribers of a foreign service area that are currently roaming in the home service area;

(c) authenticating the cellular phone using secondary identification data when the call attempt exceeds the roaming privilege for the cellular phone; and

(d) authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the home service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone at the authenticating step.

10. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the VLR further comprises roaming information for subscribers of the foreign service area that are authorized for service in the home service area.

11. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the authorization step comprises completing the call request if the cellular phone is found in the VLR.

12. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the determining step comprises the steps of sending a request to a foreign service area, the foreign service area checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone in response thereto.

13. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the roaming information comprises a validation period indicating how long the roaming cellular phone is authorized for service in the home service area.

14. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the authenticating step comprises the step of transmitting an authentication request signal to the foreign service area, wherein the foreign service area provides in response thereto the secondary identification data to be used during the authorization step.

15. The method of claim 9 above, wherein the authorizing step further comprises adding the cellular phone to the database.

16. An apparatus for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system, comprising:

(a) means for receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone, comprising means for authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in a foreign service area;

(b) means for determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone exceeds a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, comprising means for checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the database comprising a Home Locator Register (HLR) for storing roaming information for subscribers of the home service area;

(c) means for authenticating the cellular phone using secondary identification data when the call attempt exceeds the roaming privilege for the cellular phone; and

(d) means for authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the roaming information comprises the roaming privileges.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the roaming information comprises the secondary identification data for the subscriber.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein access to the cellular service is denied if the cellular phone has no roaming privilege.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein access to the cellular service is allowed if the cellular phone has not exceeded its roaming privilege.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for authenticating comprises:

means for determining that the cellular phone does not have sufficient roaming privilege, but is not prevented from roaming; and

means for transmitting an authentication request signal to the foreign service area, wherein the foreign service area performs the authentication step using the secondary identification data to authorize the call attempt.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for authenticating comprises means for forwarding the call attempt to the foreign service area and means for verifying that the foreign service area authorized the call attempt.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for authorizing comprises means for authorizing the providing of service to the cellular phone for a specified amount of time.

24. A program storage device readable by a computer and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for preventing roaming fraud in a cellular telephone system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request to authorize a call attempt by a cellular phone, comprising the step of authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in a foreign service area;

(b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone exceeds a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the determining step comprising the step of checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaming privilege of the cellular phone, the database comprising a Home Locator Register (HLR) for storing roaming information for subscribers of the home service area;

(c) authenticating the cellular phone using secondary identification data when the call attempt exceeds the roaming privilege for the cellular phone; and

(d) authorizing the call attempt by the cellular phone in the foreign service area when a proper response is provided by the cellular phone at the authenticating step.

25. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein the roaming information comprises the roaming privileges.

26. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein the roaming information comprises the secondary identification data for the subscriber.

27. The program storage device of claim 24, further comprising denying access to the cellular service if the cellular phone has no roaming privilege.

28. The program storage device of claim 24, further comprising allowing access to the cellular service if the cellular phone has not exceeded its roaming privilege.

29. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein the authenticating step comprises the steps of:

determining that the cellular phone does not have sufficient roaming privilege, but is not prevented from roaming; and

transmitting an authentication request signal to the foreign service area, wherein the foreign service area performs the authentication step using the secondary identification data to authorize the call attempt.

30. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein the authenticating step comprises the steps of forwarding the call attempt to the foreign service area and verifying that the foreign service area authorized the call attempt.

31. The program storage device of claim 24, wherein the authorizing step comprises the step of authorizing the providing of service to the cellular phone for a specified amount of time.