P512 Pre-study on the prevention and limitation of telecommunications fraud

Rationale
Telecommunication fraud is a large and growing problem. Estimates of the financial damage due to "security failures" in existing telecommunication services in Europe probably range from 800 million ECUs to 2 billion ECUs per year.

Major areas of loss are identified as:

• pay phone fraud
• subscription fraud
• cellular cloning
• freephone (e.g. 0800) manipulation
• calling card
• PBX hacking
• premium rate service fraud

Telecommunication fraud may involve a number of PNOs: a typical situation is that a hacker makes a call through 3 to 5 different countries in order to avoid being tracked. The difficulties in gathering the evidence to support a prosecution is presently insurmountable.

Countermeasures combating such problems require international co-operation. The "security centres" set up by each PNO should work together and arrange common prevention plans and agreed protection schemes in order to effectively respond to the attacks.

Objectives
The main objectives of this project are to:

• identify the services where co-operation is needed in order to counter fraud
• identify guidelines on how relationships can be established between national "security centres" and find scenarios for the exchange of fraud information between them
• investigate where TMN or other technical solutions can be applied to improve the effectiveness of the "security centres"

Participants BT FT IT MP NL TE PT OG

Duration - Project start: Jan 95 - Project completion: Jul 95

Results for Full Publication - None