USSD Fraud Detection and Prevention in Mobile Money

USSD Fraud Protection for Mobile Money Providers

USSD remains an important access channel for mobile-money services, particularly in markets where customers use feature phones or have limited access to mobile data.

The channel supports account access, balance enquiries, transfers, payments, cash-out and other financial services through short-code sessions.

Protecting the channel requires visibility into USSD activity and the network context surrounding it. Relevant information can include USSD sessions, MSISDN, IMSI, IMEI, authentication, signalling and transaction activity.

Neural Technologies provides mobile money protection solutions that help operators monitor and assess fraud risk across USSD and other mobile-money channels.

USSD Fraud Risk in Mobile Money

USSD fraud can involve suspicious session activity, unauthorized use of customer credentials, unusual authentication behavior or transactions that do not align with expected usage.

Relevant areas for monitoring can include:

• Unusual USSD session frequency or timing
• Repeated authentication attempts
• Unexpected PIN or service changes
• Unusual transaction activity following a USSD session
• Changes in the relationship between subscriber and device
• Unusual network or signaling context
  
  

USSD, Subscriber and Device Intelligence

USSD activity can be assessed alongside mobile-network identifiers and device information, including:

• MSISDN — mobile number
• IMSI — subscriber identity
• IMEI — device identity
• SIM/eSIM information
• Authentication activity
• USSD session information

Connecting these data points can provide additional context around the subscriber, subscription and device associated with USSD activity.

USSD Fraud Detection with Signaling Intelligence

USSD activity can be assessed alongside relevant signaling and subscriber information to provide additional context for fraud monitoring.

Depending on the network environment, this may include signaling information associated with SS7/SIGTRAN, Diameter and other network protocols, as well as subscriber, authentication, mobility and device-related events.

Neural Technologies' Signaling Stack provides telecom-grade signaling capabilities across 2G/3G, 4G and 5G environments, with support for security, real-time analytics, device verification, fraud detection and mobile-payment use cases.

Connecting signaling intelligence with USSD, subscriber and transaction information can provide additional context when assessing potentially suspicious activity.

Monitoring USSD Activity in Context

USSD sessions can be monitored alongside relevant authentication and transaction information.

For example:

USSD Session → Authentication Activity → Transaction

Monitoring these events together can provide more context than assessing the transaction alone.

Managing Risk at the USSD Channel

Detection can support different responses depending on the assessed risk and the operator's processes.

Potential controls include:

• Additional authentication
• Transaction monitoring
• Customer notification
• Fraud alerts
• Additional review
• Transaction restrictions
• Investigation
• Continued monitoring

The appropriate response depends on the operator's risk policies, customer processes and available information.

USSD Fraud Protection with Neural Technologies

Neural Technologies' Mobile Money Protection approach brings together identity, mobile channels, devices, accounts, transactions and behavioral signals to assess risk in context.

Explore Mobile Money Protection: Fraud, Risk and Financial Crime Prevention for the broader approach to protecting mobile-money services.

Speak to Neural Technologies about USSD fraud protection, signalling intelligence and mobile-money risk management.

USSD Fraud: Frequently Asked Questions