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Identity Verification in the Telecommunication Industry

Identity Verification in the Telecommunication Industry

Identity verification has turned into a vital tool to detect and prevent fraud in every industry, and telecommunication is no exception. Since telecommunication is directly or indirectly associated with several essential services such as national security, health, finance, etc., identity verification matters more in the telecom industry. While the industry struggles with several identity threats, including vishing calls, account takeovers, call transfer fraud, etc. Fortunately, such risks can be minimized to a great extent using a robust identity verification solution.

You will be surprised to know that the history of telecommunication was started with smoke signals and drums. The year 1790 was the 1st time when a fixed semaphore system came into appearance in Europe. Until 1830, there was no fixed telecommunication system like we see today. 

Today, telecommunication is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world. The numberless telecom companies worldwide are engaged in providing voice, video, text, and internet data services. According to a stat, the global telecom service market size was valued at 1.74 trillion USD in 2019.

While the telecommunication industry has a significant role in every sector and is growing rapidly, it has some challenges. Identity fraud is one of the most common threats to the industry. According to the survey conducted by Global CFCA in 2015, identity fraud represents approximately 35% of all frauds in the telecom industry. 

In today’s post, we’re going to take a look at the role of identity verification in the telecommunication industry, but before that, let’s get to know about some common fraud types in the telecom sector.

Verify customers identity within 15 seconds. Schedule a free identity verification demo here.

Frauds in the Telecommunication Industry

Identity theft is a severe concern in the telecom industry; especially mobile telecommunication is hugely affected. As per the Cifas reporting, the industry’s identity fraud rate increased by 50% in 2017. Another report of OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) claims that the telecom frauds cause the loss of around 32.7 billion US dollars to the world annually. The report further says that fraudsters hack the telecommunication system to abuse legitimate enterprises for criminal gain.
Let’s learn about some common fraud types in the telecommunication industry.

Vishing Calls

It is a typical phone scam in which fraudsters trick people to reveal their personal and financial information to transfer money. During the phone call, the criminal uses social engineering (psychological manipulation) to get victims to share their personal information and financial details. 

Fraudsters might claim to be a bank representative or law enforcement officer and tell you that your account has been compromised. They might even ask you to install software, which is actually a Malware. Some of the common vishing scams include:

Verify customers identity within 15 seconds. Schedule a free identity verification demo here.

Call Transfer Fraud

The technology has enabled fraudsters to use various fraud techniques and call transfer fraud. This type of fraud happens when a fraudster hacks a VoIP PBX to make free international calls. With the help of compromised PBX, a hacker transfers the call to their own phone. Thus they can speak with anyone via a hacked soft switch without getting into the telecom operator’s notice.

Since there is no way of tracking a call once it is transferred out of the network, fraudsters can extort or blackmail without getting tracked.

See the following diagram to understand the call transfer fraud scenario.

Account Takeover

Account takeover happens when a malicious 3rd party gains access to a user’s account credentials. In Europe, most telecom companies provide their customers with the opportunity to buy a high-value device on monthly installments. Unfortunately, this business model has been proving beneficial for fraudsters as well. They steal customers’ account details and use that information to buy expensive devices, which they immediately sell-off and leave the victim with the bill.

Mobile telecom is at high risk of account takeover threat. In 2016, the UK Company TalkTalk was hit with a £400,000 fine for the cyberattack that exposed the personal details of more than 150,000 customers to cybercriminals.

Romance Fraud

Romance fraud happens when a fraudster adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s trust. However, romance fraud in the telecommunication industry is a bit different. Generally, it involves convincing the victim to share their account details to buy an expensive device.

Identity Verification in Telecommunication

The role of identity verification in the telecommunication industry is exceptionally crucial. It keeps the fraud at bay by verifying the authenticity of the documents customers provide. A proper identity verification system helps a telecom company authenticate its customers and ensures the holder is the rightful owner. Besides this, identity verification enables telecom operators to evaluate the risk associated with customers via different checks.

How Can Identity Verification Help in Preventing Frauds

KYC Compliance

Whether it is an in-person onboarding or digital onboarding, identity verification plays an important role in identifying and preventing fraudulent activities that put telecom operators at risk.

Using real-time biometric facial recognition solutions, telecom operators can obtain authentic identification documentation of customers and create a safe environment for both the customer and companies.

Since advanced identity verification solutions help telecom companies run a background check on users, they can easily comply with KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) directives.

Ensure your customers are real. Schedule a free demo here.

Reputation

Trust is more important than ever before for telecommunication companies because users nowadays look for operators to rely on. Identity frauds not only cause financial penalties but also lead to a loss of reputation.

Better Customer Experience

A robust identity verification system also allows telecom operators to improve the overall experience for their customers. Since customers’ onboarding journey becomes frictionless, they feel confident about their relationship with a telecom company.

Check out some quick benefits of identity verification solutions for the telecom industry below.

There are so many benefits of an identity verification solution for the telecommunication industry, so why not implement it. iDenfy is a renowned identity verification solution provider in Lithuania, offers a robust, AI-enabled identity verification system that combines face recognition, liveness detection, and ID verification. To know about their identity verification solution, you can book a meeting with us.

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