Interconnect Bypass Fraud

Also known as: Interconnect Bypass, Toll Bypass

Bypass fraud is a family of frauds in which international voice traffic destined for a country is diverted away from the licensed international gateway and re-originated inside the country as if it were a local call. Common variants use SIM boxes, OTT-to-mobile refile or leaked interconnect routes to avoid international termination fees, depriving the destination operator and often the state of revenue and taxes.

Categories: Roaming and InterconnectIdentity and SubscriberFraud

Bypass Fraud in context

Roaming and interconnect are where two operators, often with an IPX or GRX carrier in between, exchange signaling and user-plane traffic. Trust boundaries here are the primary attack surface for location tracking, SMS interception and fraud, which is why GSMA now mandates SEPP with PRINS on 5G interconnect.

Subscriber identifiers (IMSI, SUPI, MSISDN, IMEI) are the anchor for authentication, charging, lawful interception and fraud analytics. Any protocol or interface that leaks a permanent identifier is treated as a serious privacy defect, which is why 5G introduced SUCI concealment on the air interface.

To place Bypass Fraud in the wider telecom-security picture, review Interconnect Bypass Fraud, BGCF, SIMBox Fraud, Toll Bypass, Refile Fraud and SIM Box.

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