South Africa: Revector launches Detect & Locate
· New operator service locates fraudsters to a physical location
· Helps reduce the $4.63 billion lost annually to SIM box/GSM Gateway fraud
Revector, the global leader in mobile anti-fraud solutions, today announced the launch of a new product that will significantly reduce illegal activity against mobile networks. Revector Detect & Locate enables mobile operators to detect SIM box fraud on the network and identify the location from which the fraud is taking place, down to a specific house or office.
Revector Detect & Locate enables mobile operators to geo-locate fraudulent SIM cards and SIM boxes using a combination of triangulation co-ordinates from the mobile network and on the ground location. Detect & Locate is so precise that it will identify a transmitting location down to a room or apartment, within a building.
Andy Gent, CEO of Revector commented: “With Revector Detect & Locate, mobile operators can alert the authorities to the precise location of fraudsters. They can then be arrested, prosecuted and illegal GSM Gateway equipment destroyed.”
‘SIM box’ fraud takes place when individuals or organisations buy thousands of SIM cards offering free or low cost calls to mobile numbers. The SIM cards are used to channel national or international calls away from mobile networks and deliver them as local calls, costing operators’ millions in lost revenue.
A number of recent high profile raids on SIM box fraudsters have taken place in Mauritius, Haiti, Senegal, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana and El Salvador. One such raid in Ghana recently seized equipment worth more than $200,000 with the capability to hold more than 300 SIM cards concurrently. Illegal SIM cards can generate 10 cents per minute for more than 20 days per month, costing an operator up to $3000 per SIM card, per month in lost revenue. The equipment seized in Ghana could generate almost one million dollars per month in fraudulent transactions.
“SIM box fraud is sometimes seen as a victimless crime but that is far from true. It impacts the call quality and reliability for customers and makes calls highly insecure. Fraudsters can generate millions in illegal revenues quickly and effectively, much of which will be used to fund criminal activities. If operators do nothing, they are encouraging fraud on their networks and literally throwing millions in revenue away,” continued Gent.
Revector offers mobile network operators, regulators and governments a quick and cost-effective way to identify SIM box fraud, removing millions of dollars’ worth of fraudulent activity from their networks and help reduce such activity on a long term basis .
Revector will be demonstrating Detect & Locate at AfricaCom 2011, Cape Town, South Africa, 9-10th November. Visit stand F28.
