AB Handshake
AB Handshake

Fraudsters have found fertile ground in the telecom industry, targeting service providers and enterprises alike. In 2023, telecom fraud surged by 12%, costing the industry a staggering $38.95 billion—about 2.5% of global telecom revenue. These losses stem from schemes like IRSF, SIM box, and Wangiri fraud, just to name a few.

While the financial implications are dire, the reputational damage caused by fraudulent calls can be equally devastating, causing users to rely on different communication channels. For businesses, fake calls disrupt operations and erode customer trust. Telecom operators, on the other hand, are working tirelessly to protect their networks and subscribers from malicious actors. For them, the challenge is how they can protect themselves without alienating legitimate customers or losing revenue.

Fraudsters manipulate call traffic by hijacking legitimate phone numbers or exploiting gaps in the system, leaving businesses and operators struggling to keep up. Although many have fraud detection solutions, fraudsters are now using even more sophisticated methods. Most fraud attacks now rely on legitimate phone numbers from real subscribers, making them harder to detect, while only a small portion involves clearly illegitimate numbers.

A common approach to blocking fraud is to cut off entire ranges of numbers associated with fraudulent activity. While effective in curbing scams, this method inevitably blocks legitimate traffic as well, leading to service disruptions for users and financial losses for operators. Moreover, these blocks often remain in place until manual reviews or customer complaints prompt action, prolonging unnecessary disruptions.

AB Handshake, a global leader in telecom fraud prevention, has developed a unique approach to tackle these challenges. The company positions itself as a trusted ally to operators, equipping them with tools to tackle fraud head-on without disrupting legitimate traffic. By combining advanced artificial intelligence with patented call validation technology, the company offers a unique solution that detects inconsistencies in real-time, isolating and blocking fraudulent activity.

The technology utilized by AB Handshake identifies fraudulent patterns in voice traffic, allowing operators to proactively block scams before they occur—and, in the end, help these operators provide their subscribers with a smooth user experience. Unlike traditional methods, which rely on broad rules that often block legitimate traffic, AB Handshake isolates and blocks only fraudulent calls, preserving the customer experience and operator revenue.

Nadejda Papernaia, CEO of AB Handshake, further states, "Every legitimate call that's blocked can cause a loss of revenue, as well as trust. Our system is designed to prevent fraud while preserving the integrity of the customer experience."

Accuracy is paramount in fraud prevention. AB Handshake gives a practical example that illustrates its importance. Traditionally, a fraud prevention system would block a whole range of numbers. But that blocks even legitimate traffic. The principle is to block calls, not numbers. The appropriate solution is to block specific calls within the time frame of the attack and ultimately protect operators within the community from all major telecom fraud types. This precision significantly reduces service disruptions and helps ensure that legitimate traffic continues to flow, benefiting both operators and their customers.

By handling an immense volume of call traffic and helping save significant revenue for its clients, AB Handshake demonstrates that effective fraud prevention can go hand in hand with maintaining trust and profitability. The CEO emphasizes, "Fraud prevention is about more than just stopping bad actors—it's to protect the entire ecosystem. By fostering a trusted community of operators and partners, we can build a future where telecom fraud becomes a thing of the past."

AB Handshake's end-to-end validation technology is a solution fostering a global community of operators, enterprises, and regulators committed to eliminating telecom fraud. Through partnerships with notable organizations, the company is shaping industry standards and advancing fraud prevention methods.

As telecom fraud continues to evolve, AB Handshake works hand in hand with its operators to keep them one step ahead of those with malicious intent. By leveraging big data analytics, pattern recognition, and end-to-end validation, the company is setting a new standard for fraud prevention. Its goal is simple: to empower operators and businesses to protect themselves, ensuring that every call counts and every customer stays connected.