Apparatus and method for preventing fraudulent calls in a wireless telephone system using destination and fingerprint analysis

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a first threshold for the fingerprint analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a suspicious data containing at least one destination considered to be called by fraudulent wireless telephones;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the suspicious data;
• and
• when the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data, performing a fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer using a second threshold higher than the first threshold to require an increased matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the identified authorized wireless telephone in order to identify the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• maintaining a plurality of locally invalid data, each locally invalid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be invalid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• classifying the call as valid when the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as fraudulent;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally invalid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• and
• classifying the call as invalid when the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally invalid data regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• and
• classifying the call as valid when the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as fraudulent.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a selected threshold for the fingerprint analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• maintaining a suspicious data containing at least one destination considered to be called by fraudulent wireless telephones;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• setting a first threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the suspicious data;
• setting a second threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data;
• and
• performing a fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer using the first threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data and using the second threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data, with the first and second thresholds each being selected to require a corresponding selected matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the identified authorized wireless telephone in order to identify the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a selected threshold for the fingerprint analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a suspicious data containing at least one destination considered to be called by fraudulent wireless telephones;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the suspicious data;
• setting a first threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data;
• and
• performing a fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer using the first threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data, with the first threshold being selected to require a corresponding selected matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the identified authorized wireless telephone in order to identify the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a selected threshold for the fingerprint analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• maintaining a plurality of locally invalid data, each locally invalid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be invalid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• setting a first threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally invalid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• setting a second threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally invalid data;
• and
• performing a fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer using the first threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data and using the second threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally invalid data, with the first and second thresholds each being selected to require a corresponding selected matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the identified authorized wireless telephone in order to identify the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A method of preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone system including a fingerprint analyzer that identifies an unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a selected threshold for the fingerprint analysis, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• receiving from an unauthenticated wireless telephone a call request containing a designated destination and identifying an authorized wireless telephone;
• determining whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data corresponding to the identified authorized wireless telephone;
• setting a first threshold different from the selected threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data;
• and
• performing a fingerprint analysis by the fingerprint analyzer using the first threshold if the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data, with the first threshold being selected to require a corresponding selected matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the identified authorized wireless telephone in order to identify the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.

A system for preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone network comprising:

• a storage device operable to store a designated destination contained in a call request from an unauthenticated wireless telephone, the storage device operable to store a plurality of locally valid data, each locally valid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be valid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• a fingerprint analyzer that identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone;
• and
• a processor connected to the fingerprint analyzer and the storage device, and operable to determine whether the designated destination is in the locally valid data for the corresponding authorized wireless telephone and to classify the call as valid when the designated destination is determined to be in the corresponding locally valid data regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as fraudulent.

A system for preventing fraudulent calls by users of a wireless telephone network, comprising:

• a storage device operable to store a designated destination contained in a call request from an unauthenticated wireless telephone, the storage device operable to store a suspicious data containing at least one destination considered to be called by fraudulent wireless telephones;
• a fingerprint analyzer that identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a first threshold and a second threshold higher than the first threshold to require an increased matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the corresponding authorized wireless telephone;
• and
• a processor connected to the fingerprint analyzer and the storage device, and operable to determine whether the designated destination is in the suspicious data and to execute through the fingerprint analyzer a fingerprint analysis using the second threshold when the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data.

A system for preventing fraudulent calls in a wireless telephone system comprising:

• a storage device operable to store a designated destination contained in a call request from an unauthenticated wireless telephone, the storage device operable to store a suspicious data containing at least one destination considered to be called by fraudulent wireless telephones and to store a plurality of locally invalid data, each locally invalid data corresponding to a specific authorized wireless telephone and containing at least one destination considered to be invalid for the corresponding specific authorized wireless telephone;
• a fingerprint analyzer that identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized or fraudulent based on a fingerprint analysis of comparing a transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone with a stored fingerprint of a corresponding authorized wireless telephone using a first threshold and a second threshold higher than the first threshold to require an increased matching between the transmission characteristic of the unauthenticated wireless telephone and the stored fingerprint of the corresponding authorized wireless telephone;
• and
• a processor connected to the fingerprint analyzer and the storage device, and operable to determine whether the designated destination is in the suspicious data or the locally invalid data for the corresponding authorized wireless telephone and to execute through the fingerprint analyzer a fingerprint analysis using the second threshold when the designated destination is determined to be in the suspicious data, the processor operable to classify the call as invalid when the designated destination is determined to be in the locally invalid data for the corresponding authorized wireless telephone regardless of whether the fingerprint analyzer identifies the unauthenticated wireless telephone as authorized.