18385821. MITIGATING FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM SIM SWAPPING (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)

MITIGATING FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM SIM SWAPPING

Organization Name

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Inventor(s)

Amer Aref Hassan of Kirkland WA US

Eric Edmond Thomasian of Los Angeles CA US

Shaun Dunning of Redmond WA US

MITIGATING FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM SIM SWAPPING

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18385821 titled 'MITIGATING FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM SIM SWAPPING

Original Abstract Submitted

A system and method for preventing fraudulent access to user accounts and user data resulting from SIM swapping are disclosed. A server providing a unified communications service receives a message containing an authentication code addressed to a subscriber mobile device. The server determines a threat level by analyzing recent subscriber login data for suspicious patterns. If the threat score exceeds a threshold, the server divides the authentication code into two portions before sending. One portion is transmitted via regular SMS to the native messaging app on the subscriber's device. The other portion is sent through a subscriber messaging client of the unified communications service. This dual channel delivery allows legitimate users to receive the full code while preventing unauthorized users who may have swapped the subscriber's SIM card. Additional threat detection involves monitoring the status of the native messaging app and notifying subscribers of anomalies indicating potential SIM swapping.