System and method for paying a merchant by a registered user using a cellular telephone account

A method of detecting a potentially fraudulent transaction involving a communications device, comprising:

• obtaining a payment record of a subscriber in possession of the communications device from a merchant;
• obtaining, from the merchant, a transaction identifier of a transaction entered into by the subscriber in possession of the communications device;
• determining whether a fraud score meets or exceeds a threshold;
• and
• identifying the transaction as fraudulent based on the determination that the fraud score meets or exceeds the threshold.

An apparatus to detect a potentially fraudulent transaction, comprising:

• a processor, coupled to at least one memory device, to:
• receive, from a merchant, a record to indicate a payment made to the merchant by a subscriber in possession of a communications device;
• determine, in response to an outcome of a comparison made between the record to indicate the payment and an identifier associated with the merchant, a fraud score of the communications device;
• and to
• permit the potentially fraudulent transaction to occur based, at least in part, on whether the determined fraud score is less than a threshold level.