Cellular fraud prevention using selective roaming

• US 6,285,871 B1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniels, David Leighton
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US09/415,624
• Time in Patent Office: 693 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 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 is within 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;

(c) authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within 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 privilege comprises secondary identification data for the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1 above, further comprising the step of denying access to the cellular telephone system if the cellular phone has no roaming privilege.

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

5. 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;

determining that the cellular phone is allowed to roam; and

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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 in a foreign service area;

(b) means for determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone is within a roaming privilege of the cellular phone, comprising means for checking a database stored in a data storage device to determine the roaring privilege of the cellular phone;

(c) means for authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within 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.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the roaming privilege comprises the secondary identification data for the subscriber.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein access to the cellular service is denied if the cellular phone has no roaming privilege.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein access to the cellular service is allowed if the cellular phone has not exceeded its roaming privilege.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, 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 to authorize the call attempt.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, 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.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for authorizing comprises means for authorizing the providing of service to the cellular phone for a specified amount of time.

15. 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 in a foreign service area;

(b) determining whether the call attempt by the cellular phone is within 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;

(c) authenticating the cellular phone when the call attempt is within 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.

16. The program storage device of claim 15 above, wherein the roaming privilege comprises secondary identification data for the subscriber.

17. The program storage device of claim 15 above, further comprising the step of denying access to the cellular telephone system if the cellular phone has no roaming privilege.

18. The program storage device of claim 15 above, further comprising allowing access to the cellular telephone system if the cellular phone has not exceeded its roaming privilege.

19. The program storage device of claim 15 above, wherein the authenticating step comprises the steps of:

determining that the cellular phone does not have sufficient roaming privileges;

determining that the cellular phone is allowed to roam; and

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

20. The program storage device of claim 15 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.

21. The program storage device of claim 15 above, wherein the authorizing step comprises the step of authorizing the providing of service to the cellular phone for a specified amount of time.