A Fraud Prevention and Secure Cognitive SIM Card Registration Model

Abstract

Background: Most subscriber identification module (SIM) which usually finds their way to mobile phone users are primarily unregistered or pre-registered. Criminals buy these SIM cards, which have fake personal information, activate them and then use them as a channel of attacking vulnerable mobile phone users. Objective: to investigate the existing standards of the registration process, the weakness and how fraudsters leverage the shortcomings of the existing registration to attack unsuspecting subscribers. Methods: The study also proposed an automated theoretical model as an augmented model to ensure the SIM registration process and implementation become secure. Results: In our investigation, we identified that there had been a rise in fraudulent activities in Ghana, and the criminals have adapted to the new trend of committing a crime using mobile phones. The research presented a proposed conceptual model and algorithm for the new SIM registration. The study further conducted a comparative analysis of the principal component adopted to measure the robustness of the registration platform. The criminals mostly use social engineering tactics to trick their victims into disclosing sensitive information or sending money for services yet to be rendered. MNOs request an ID card before registering and activating SIMs, yet criminals can outwit the registration processes and get SIM cards registered through unapproved channels. Conclusion: We found out that the robustness of our model shall prevent SIM pre-registration and unapproved SIM activation due to verification mechanisms in the proposed model. A cognitive learningsystem has automated the registration process that can identify multiple registrations and prevent unapproved activation. Keywords: SIM Fraud; SIM card; Cognitive System; Mobile Network Operators; Intelligent decisionmaking; SIM Registration