Systems and methods for tagging fraudulent phone numbers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12323552-B2
Application number	US-202218083778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2022
Priority date	Nov 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A method including: receiving a user report dataset indicating fraudulent activity corresponding to a phone number; responsive to receiving the user report dataset, identifying a record in a database corresponding to the phone number; and tagging the record to identify the phone number as being associated with fraudulent activity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, via at least one processor configured by computer-readable instructions stored in at least one memory device, a user report dataset indicating fraudulent activity corresponding to a phone number from a telecommunications services management platform, wherein the telecommunications services management platform provides one or more services for the phone number,
wherein the fraudulent activity includes spoofing, and wherein the spoofing includes an originating phone number that is not authentic;
responsive to receiving, via the at least one processor, the user report dataset, identifying a record in a database corresponding to the phone number; and
tagging, via the at least one processor, the record to identify the phone number as being associated with fraudulent activity.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user report dataset is generated via one or more user inputs into a graphical user interface generated by the at least one processor.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the user report dataset is generated via at least one of the at least one processor forming part of the telecommunications services management platform that provides the one or more services for the phone number.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user report dataset is automatically generated.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fraudulent activity further includes traffic pumping.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing one or more services for the phone number via the telecommunications services management platform, wherein the telecommunications services management platform is in electronic communication with the database;
wherein the user report dataset is received at the telecommunications services management platform.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
in response to tagging the record, assigning, via the telecommunications services management platform, a call route to the phone number.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user report dataset corresponds to at least one of:
a telephone service provider;
a toll-free number operator; or
a Responsible Organization (RespOrg).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein tagging of the record indicates a frequency that the phone number is abused.

10. A method comprising:
receiving report data that relates to a usage of a telecommunications number and indicates that the telecommunications number is associated with fraudulent activity based at least in part on the usage; and
assigning a call route to the telecommunications number adapted to reduce a cost associated with the fraudulent activity, wherein the call route is determined based at least in part on a cost of using a particular carrier.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein receiving the report data is at a telecommunications services management platform that provides one or more services for the telecommunications number to include assigning the call route.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the report data is manually generated.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the report data is manually generated via a telecommunications services management platform that provides one or more services for the telecommunications number to include assigning the call route.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the report data is automatically generated.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the fraudulent activity is at least one of:
spoofing, wherein the spoofing includes an originating phone number that is not authentic; or
traffic pumping.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
providing one or more services in addition to assigning the call route for the telecommunications number via a telecommunications services management platform.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the report data is generated by at least one of:
a telephone service provider;
a toll-free number operator; or
a Responsible Organization (RespOrg).

18. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory device storing an application that adapts the at least one processor to:
receive a user report dataset indicating fraudulent activity corresponding to a phone number from a telecommunications services management platform, wherein the telecommunications services management platform provides one or more services for the phone number,
wherein the fraudulent activity includes spoofing, and wherein the spoofing includes an originating phone number that is not authentic;
responsive to receiving the user report dataset, identify a record in a database corresponding to the phone number; and
tag the record to identify the phone number as being associated with fraudulent activity.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the fraudulent activity further includes traffic pumping.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the user report dataset corresponds to at least one of:
a telephone service provider;
a toll-free number operator; or
a Responsible Organization (RespOrg).

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the telecommunications services management platform is configured for a customer of the phone number to specify an abuse route.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the telecommunications services management platform shares the abuse route with a service provider, and the method further comprises:
the service provider determining that a call is a fraudulent call based on a rating for the phone number; and
the service provider using the abuse route to route the call.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the phone number is a toll-free telephone number, and the abuse route is to reduce a cost associated with receiving a high volume of fraudulent calls to the toll-free telephone number, the abuse route based on a per-call cost and a per-minute cost for at least one particular carrier.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein tagging the record includes a rating for the phone number, the rating indicating how much of a total activity directed to the phone number is fraudulent.

Assignees

• Somos Inc

Inventors

• Sharma Sriram
• Kimmel Michael
• Wong Suk Yee
• Carter William
• Bhat Manisha
• Carter Pamela J
• Chauhan Sanjeev
• Karnas Ryan
• Stiffler Alan
• Lakhani Dewang

Classifications

• H04M3/5175

  Call or contact centers supervision arrangements · CPC title

• H04M3/42357

  where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server · CPC title

• H04M3/42178

  by downloading data to substation equipment · CPC title

• H04M3/42161

  via computer interface · CPC title

• H04M3/42153

  by subscriber · CPC title