Method to challenge cell phone user for fraudulent use

• US 7,373,137 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lauridsen, Christina Karen, Schneider, Elena, Rojas, Hypatia, Sloan, Robert Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson; Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/157,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20060286965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/415, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/445, 455/500, 455/517, 455/73, 455/550.1, 455/558, 455/564, 455/565, 455/575.1, 455/90.3, 379/199, 379/200, 379/207.14, 379/210.02, 379/216.01
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring calls being made from a cellular phone and preventing calls being made to unauthorized numbers, as defined by the owner of the cellular phone. A security challenge is issued to a cell phone user when a suspicious, previously unknown telephone number is attempted to be called. Approved/safe numbers and/or area codes are stored within the phone and/or in a subscriber'"'"'s account accessible and updated via the Internet. If the user is unable to provide the correct security code in response to the challenge, the user is prevented from making the call to the particular number.

Claims

1. In a communication device, a method comprising:

receiving a destination identifier (ID) to which a communication is desired;

comparing the destination ID to one or more lists of approved destination IDs;

when said destination ID matches one of the approved destination IDs, enabling the communication to the destination ID from the communication device;

when the destination ID does not match one of the approved destination IDs, enabling completion of each communication from the communication device to each un-approved destination ID only when a pre-established user code that authorizes completion to un-approved destination IDs is received in real time at the time proximate to when a request to initiate the communication is received and prior to enabling completion of the communication, wherein said communication is prevented from completing when the pre-established user code is not received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling completion of the communication further comprises:

initially preventing completion of the communication from the communication device to that destination ID;

prompting for entry of the pre-established user code; and

enabling communication from the communication device to the entered destination ID when a code, received in real time, at the time just prior to when the particular communication is initiated to the un-approved destination ID, matches the pre-established user code.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

enabling entry of a security code during set up of the communication device;

storing the security code as a pre-established user code in persistent storage; and

retrieving the pre-established user code and comparing the pre-established user code to a subsequent code entered by the user, wherein said means for enabling includes means for comparing the subsequent code to the pre-established user code.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling transmission of wireless communication from the communication device to a terminating device associated with the entered destination ID, wherein the communication is a wireless communication and the destination ID is one of a number to a phone device or an address of a network device, accessible from the communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user directory within which a user enters destination IDs;

providing an approved list of approved destination IDs;

recording destination IDs to which previous communications are received or transmitted, said destination IDs being recorded within a list of recently utilized destination IDs; and

establishing a list of un-approved destination IDs corresponding to destinations for which entry of the pre-established user code is required.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting a user to store a destination ID and received call ID for a recently completed communication to a list of recently communicated IDs, which list provides recently approved destination IDs that do not require a code for a subsequent communication to destination IDs on the list; and

responsive to the user selecting an option to store the destination ID or received call ID, updating the list of recently communicated IDs to include the destination ID or received call ID, wherein subsequent calls to that destination ID and calls to the received call ID are completed without requiring user entry of the code;

wherein a real-time override password is required to be entered each time a particular outgoing communication is initiated to an un-approved communication ID not within the list.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting a requirement for entry of the pre-established user code by geographical parameters, wherein a first set of destination IDs are automatically restricted from being available for termination of a communication from the communication device when the communication device is in a first geographical location, such that the pre-established code is required to complete a call from the first geographical location, while communication to the first set of destination IDs is automatically allowed when in another pre-defined geographical location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting a requirement for entry of the pre-established user code by time-of-day and date-specific parameters, wherein a specific destination ID is automatically restricted from being available for termination of a communication from the communication device when the present time of day or date is one of a preset time or date in which the communication device is restricted from completing a call to that specific destination ID, such that the pre-established code is required to complete a call during the present time of data or date, while communication to the specific destination IDs is automatically allowed during another time or date.