Interconnect Bypass Fraud

In telecom networks, Interconnect Bypass Fraud is the practice of routing international voice or SMS traffic to a domestic operator through unauthorized means (such as SIM boxes or OTT-to-PSTN gateways) to evade higher international termination rates, depriving operators and regulators of revenue.

Categories: Roaming and InterconnectIdentity and SubscriberFraud

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

Related terms

Related topic hubs

  • Telecom Fraud IRSF, Wangiri, SIM box, PBX hacking and CLI spoofing.
  • Roaming Security IPX/GRX interconnect risk, home-routed vs local-breakout, SEPP.
  • SMS Firewall SMS spam, phishing, A2P bypass and MAP-layer SMS filtering.
  • Signaling Firewall Unified SS7/Diameter/GTP/SMS signaling firewall framework.

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