TYPES OF A2P SMS FRAUDS AND HOW YOU CAN COMBAT THEM

A2P SMS is an acronym for Application-to-Person SMS services and is one of the essential tools when it comes to marketing. Companies use the A2P SMS messaging service to increase the customer engagement rate.

From sending out important sales messages to appointment reminders, a2p bulk SMS services are used by big tier companies to grab the customer’s attention.
Important sectors such as e-commerce, entertainment, beauty and wellness, health, education are utilizing this pocket-friendly marketing way to stay in touch with the customers.

According to a study by Ovum pegged, the annual volume of A2P messaging is 1.8 trillion, and an MNO earns nearly 3 cents in revenue from every message, which equals $54 billion.
The above stats prove that the a2p SMS market is a multi-dollar business.

Well, as they say, with good comes bad.
Such billion-dollar revenue streams need protection because they are a magnet for fraudsters.

In this article, we are mentioning common a2p SMS frauds and how you can combat them.

1. Spams:

    Spamming is the result of gazillions of promotional messages sent to customers to increase sales. Spamming happens when the company cannot manage consumer data properly. For instance, either the company doesn’t verify the number used to sign up or ask for the customers’ consent to enable SMS notifications.

    2. SMS malware: Fraudsters attempt to access the subscribers’ mobile operating system and steal sensitive information. This type of fraud is usually done by installing malicious software on the subscribers’ devices without their knowledge. For instance, the fraudsters can innocently disguise the bad app that will silently act in the background.

    3. SMIShing: By combining social engineering techniques, SMS originator, and SPAM, the fraudsters try to gain access to social media accounts or sensitive data.

    4. SMS originator spoofing: Okay, this is one of the most common types of fraud. The customer is tricked into sharing the information, as the true identity of the sender is hidden. The fraudster can pretend to be a bank or government office.

    5. Hacking: Fraudsters steal the credential of the sending third party. They hack the SMS sending website by giving out fake payment details and use the provided information to spam the customers.

    6. Grey routes with no AA19/AA60 agreement: In this case, fraudsters exploit the A2P SMS services by not paying for them. They use legitimate companies’ data in the absence of commercial agreements.

    HOW A2P SMS FRAUDS HAPPEN?

    A2P SMS services get exploited by the loopholes in the framework by GSM. SMS services will be offered at low rates in some cases, but they will not offer value.
    Whereas in some cases the messages would be delivered late or they will not be delivered at all.

    In such frauds, the big SMS companies lose profits.

    HOW TO OVERCOME A2P SMS FRAUDS?

    1. Filtering: It is important to filter the messages to maintain a file of information that is important. It will help in only storing the essential information and control the messages being sent.

    2. Content validation: In the good old days, it was easy to validate the content with repeated content or specific keywords. But fraudsters have become smart, and it is not easy to protect them. Therefore, morphing and obfuscation techniques where Latin letters would be swapped with Cyrillic characters or the SMS would be modified.

    3. Volumetric checks: Volumetric checks are essential for any anti-fraud system as they enable red flags whenever somebody from outside tries to attack.

    4. URL checking: URL links can damage the information on your system. URL checking services automatically check URLs with red flags.

    5. Global database checking: Industry associations share the gathered knowledge on fraud cases with the members. This information is then further used by some specialized a2p bulk SMS vendors who use it to update their customers’ filters.
    Therefore, it is suggested to use third party solutions as they regularly update their software.

    The Bottom Line
    Frauds with A2P affect everyone in the hierarchy, starting right from the sender to the receiver. No matter where you sit in the chain, if once you lose the trust of your consumers, they won’t trust you again; therefore, make sure that you protect your A2P SMS software.

    Suppose you are looking for a company that builds an A2P SMS Aggregator that provides the best a2p SMS messaging service and A2P SMS Features. Then your search ends at https://www.globe-konnect.com. We provide the best bespoke A2P SMS services in the market and promise to provide top-class quality.