Subscription Fraud

Subscription Fraud in context

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

Telecom fraud costs operators an estimated $40+ billion per year. Common vectors include IRSF, Wangiri callback scams, SIM box bypass, PBX hacking and A2P grey routing.

To place Subscription Fraud in the wider telecom-security picture, review SECA, Interconnect Bypass Fraud, Artificial Traffic Inflation, Billing System, KPI and BSF: each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

• SECA
• Interconnect Bypass Fraud
• Artificial Traffic Inflation
• Billing System
• KPI
• BSF
• Wangiri
• Bypass Fraud

Related topic hubs

• Telecom Fraud IRSF, Wangiri, SIM box, PBX hacking and CLI spoofing.
• Routing Area Update GPRS/UMTS RAU procedure and attack surface.
• SIM Swap Attack SIM swap fraud, port-out and account takeover risk.

More from the TelcoSec Glossary

Browse the full TelcoSec Glossary, the Ultimate Guide to Mobile Network Security, or the P1 Arsenal of telecom-security tools.