{"id":41587,"date":"2022-06-07T13:37:17","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T12:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/get-involved\/gsma-membership\/gsma_resources\/call-stretching-short-stopping-fraud-protecting-operators-in-premium-rate-destinations\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T14:25:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:25:08","slug":"call-stretching-short-stopping-fraud-protecting-operators-in-premium-rate-destinations","status":"publish","type":"gsma_theme_resources","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/get-involved\/gsma-membership\/gsma_resources\/call-stretching-short-stopping-fraud-protecting-operators-in-premium-rate-destinations\/","title":{"rendered":"Call Stretching & Short Stopping Fraud \u2013 Protecting Operators in High Rate Destinations"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2021, fraud-caused losses to telcos around the world totaled close to <\/span>$40 billion<\/span><\/a>, while global telecom revenue lost specifically to Short Stopping and Call Stretching attacks was estimated at <\/span>$4 billion<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But these fraud schemes don’t just steal revenue \u2013 they cause customer churn, create unresolvable disputes and lead to the blockage of entire numbering plans from specific countries. People are unable to reach their family and friends in such destinations and, as a result, the terminating operators in these regions lose revenue due to lost traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the strategies used by these fraudsters, operators in destinations with high termination rates \u2013 such as the <\/span>Maldives, Algeria, or the EU<\/strong> \u2013 are particularly at risk. But in contrast with spam calls, the industry has seen little response from regulators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when Call Stretching and Short Stopping attacks are on the rise, the chances of preventing them are becoming smaller and smaller. Thankfully, call validation can put an end to this issue, once and for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

But to understand how we can stop these fraud schemes, it\u2019s vital to first understand how these particular fraud schemes operate.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are Call Stretching and Short Stopping?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To understand these fraud schemes, let’s consider an example of a normal, non-hijacked call process. Imagine a call that originates in Canada and terminates in Cuba. The average wholesale price for such calls is around 80 cents per minute, equating to $8.00 for a 10-minute call.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a legitimate call, several wholesale transit carriers each collect, for example, one cent per minute for connecting the call.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each carrier charges the next carrier in the routing chain until the originating operator (operator A) pays the full amount for the total duration of the call.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Call Stretching vs Legitimate Call<\/span><\/h3>\n

Call Stretching occurs after a call has been connected for some time. For example, at the five-minute mark, a fraudulent carrier disconnects the B-side and connects the A-side to a recording of the conversion (or some other recording to keep the A-side connected for as long as possible) to extend the charged duration of the call and directly funnel the profits into their pocket.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In some cases, a recording may ask the caller to remain on hold while the called party is away \u2013 anything to prolong the call.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the above example, the fraudulent carrier charges the upstream carrier $0.80 for every minute the A-side stays connected after the five-minute mark and collects the profits. And at the same time, neither the A nor B operator is aware the call has been disconnected and fraudulently prolonged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Short Stopping vs Legitimate Call<\/span><\/h3>\n

Short Stopping is based on the same principle, but the hijacking occurs before the call connects to the intended destination, usually by a fraudulent transit carrier in the transit path.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The call is rerouted to a destination with a lower termination rate in order to benefit from the increased marginality. Again, the goal is the same \u2013 to keep the caller on the line for as long as possible and rack up charges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, the caller will hear a typical disconnection notice or the fraudster will pay a message such as, \u201cHello? Hello? I\u2019m having trouble hearing you. Please hold on\u2026” etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since these recordings often sound real, callers may not instantly understand that they have not reached the intended destination, which only adds to the frustration once the fraud becomes apparent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The common thread between the two schemes is the exploitation of premium rate destinations. This poses a threat both for terminating operators and ordinary people trying to get in touch with friends and family in these destinations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Targets of Call Stretching and Short Stopping: Expensive destinations<\/span><\/h2>\n

Below is an incomprehensive list of high rate destinations targeted by Call Stretching and Short Stopping:<\/span><\/p>\n