A system and method for detecting fraudulent phone calls using sequential numbering within a telephone system.

Abstract

This specification discloses a method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call from a caller to a recipient. Each telephone call has a caller's telephone number and a recipient's telephone number, and there exists an accessible field within the caller ID system for receiving content. The method first includes identifying the recipient of the telephone call initiated by the caller. Then, a current sequence marker corresponding to the caller is generated. The current sequence marker represents the next sequence identifier in a series of telephone calls between the caller and the recipient. The current sequence marker is then inserted into an accessible field of the caller ID information for that telephone call, and then the telephone call is initiated to the recipient. Potentially fraudulent telephone calls are flagged for the recipient to help prevent telephone phishing and other telephone fraud attempts. The content of the caller ID information in the accessible field may be visible to the recipient when the telephone call is received, or other notification messages or warnings, such as a text message, a special ringtone, colored light, flashing light, audio signal, audio message, or other means, may be presented to the telephone call recipient before answering the call.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to telecommunication. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call by tracking and verifying the continuous history of telephone calls between parties and using a sequence marker in caller ID information to ensure the integrity and authenticity of communication.

Background Art

[0002] People rely on telephone system communication and caller ID display systems for many important purposes, including ensuring the safety and security of loved ones. In modern society, fraudsters are using other technologies such as AI and "robocalls" to generate fake voices of people in order to use the telephone system to make ransom demands and other illegal acts.

[0003] s> In a typical ransom demand attack using "deepfake" voices, the ransom claimant "disguises" the phone number of, for example, a child in the family. This can be achieved by any of several methods, and as a result, family members such as parents and grandparents receive a phone call that appears to be coming from the child's phone. The ransom claimant who demands the ransom claims to be holding the child hostage. To prove this, a deepfake, AI-generated, or AI-assisted artificial voice that sounds like the voice of the child in distress is played for the listener. The ransom claimant promises to release the child unharmed and instructs the family to withdraw cash from the bank and deposit it at a designated location. Such a fake phone call using a fake voice is more painful and persuasive for the family because the caller ID display system of the phone shows that the phone call is coming from the child's phone, even if it is made from another phone number. This type of ransom demand attack can have a devastating impact on the victim.

[0004] Typically, a telephone system provides caller ID to the telephone hardware via the communication signals on the telephone line, which then detects the caller ID (usually a phone number or contact name, or "unknown caller" if the number is unknown) and displays it to the user on the telephone hardware. The telephone system may be under the direct control of the calling telephone service provider, or it may involve interoperation with the recipient's telephone system, which receives the call and views the displayed fraudulent caller ID.

[0005] Furthermore, these types of phone calls are typically initiated from a fraudster's phone operating within the telephone system. These calls are routed to the victim's phone by a sending and receiving carrier using standard or proprietary methods for transmitting the calls, in accordance with rules set within the telephone system involved in making and receiving calls.

[0006] Telephone systems can be PSTN / POTS, cellular, digital, VoIP, proprietary, or a combination thereof. Caller ID may be provided to the recipient of a voice call after the receiving carrier queries the CNAM database to identify the name associated with the telephone number, or through other means that provide caller ID. Before the call connects, the recipient's telephone network decodes the caller's number and sends it to the recipient's phone. This can be done using specific signaling protocols such as Bellcore GR-30-CORE in North America or the ETSI FSK signaling scheme in Europe, or other protocols. In any case, the effect is the same: because caller ID display is provided within the telephone system, the recipient of a voice call can know the identity of the caller.

[0007] Attempts to falsify or imitate legitimate phone numbers can circumvent conventional filtering and identification methods in the caller ID function of telephone systems and may appear undetected on the phone display of the targeted caller.

[0008] Therefore, there is an unmet need to help identify fraudulent phone calls and prevent phone users from being deceived by seemingly legitimate but fraudulent phone calls, such as those originating from perpetrators of malicious activity with improper intent and purpose, including phone calls with forged caller IDs designed to appear as if they came from another caller, or other phone-based fraud attempts, or ransom demands and other fraudulent phone calls. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a method and system that has a reliable means for verifying the authenticity of telephone calls between a caller and a receiver, confirming the continuous history of telephone calls to ensure the integrity of communication, and authenticating the identity of the caller.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system that helps protect the recipient of a telephone call from potentially fraudulent telephone calls by providing a text message, an audio notification, or both, when unverifiable caller ID information is received.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to implement a system for ensuring the order and integrity of communications by tracking and verifying the continuous history of telephone calls between parties. This provides a reliable means for verifying the order of telephone calls.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to enhance caller ID information by incorporating sequence markers, thereby ensuring the integrity and authenticity of communications, and thereby providing a reliable method for verifying the identity of the caller and confirming the legitimacy of an incoming telephone call.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to protect recipients from deceptive practices by preventing telephone fraud by flagging potentially fraudulent telephone calls and assisting in the prevention of telephone phishing and other frauds.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to improve recipient awareness by enabling recipients to verify the authenticity of caller ID information without answering a call, to verify the legitimacy of an incoming call at a glance, or to hear an audio warning about a potentially fraudulent call before answering it. The present invention provides real-time protection against calls when a call is received, warning recipients of potentially suspicious or fraudulent calls before they answer a call and before they can listen to or talk to a call while it is being received.

[0015] Another objective of the present invention is to ensure that the marker is easily readable and to use an alphanumeric sequence that is clear to the recipient in the caller ID. This configuration facilitates the rapid verification of the authenticity of telephone calls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] This technology helps identify potentially fraudulent phone calls within a telephone system. While any recipient of a phone call can benefit from this technology, telephone system owners, in particular, can benefit from improved security and safety of their telephone environment against spoofing and fraudulent attempts. This allows end users to communicate more freely and reduces concerns about impersonation and fraudulent attempts.

[0017] The disclosed system enables a method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call between a caller and a receiver, where both parties have telephone numbers and access to a caller ID system. The method includes using an accessible field in the caller ID system to display visible content to the receiver upon receipt of a telephone call. The method includes identifying the receiver of a telephone call initiated by the caller; generating a current sequence marker for the receiver representing the next sequence identifier in a series of telephone calls between the caller and the receiver; and inserting the current sequence marker into an accessible field of the caller ID information. This information is included in the caller ID information presented to the receiver of the telephone call by the caller ID system, or by a caller ID system interoperating with the telephone equipment and telephone system.

[0018] In one embodiment, the current sequence marker is generated from the call history, which represents a record of telephone calls previously made from the caller to the recipient.

[0019] In one embodiment, the current sequence marker includes one or more characters selected from an ordered set of elements, including letters, numbers, words from an ordered word list, symbols from an ordered symbol list, icons from an ordered icon list, and images from an ordered image list.

[0020] In another embodiment, the call history is stored in a database connected to the caller's telephone system.

[0021] In yet another embodiment, the database and caller ID application are configured to programmatically generate a current sequence marker and insert it into an accessible field before transmitting the telephone call and caller ID information.

[0022] In one embodiment, the caller-side telephone system queries a telephone call history representing records of telephone calls previously sent from the caller to the recipient in order to generate a current sequence marker. Thereafter, before sending a voice telephone call to the recipient, the caller-side inserts the current sequence marker into an accessible field of the caller ID information.

[0023] In another embodiment, the telephone call history includes the most recent sequence marker corresponding to the most recent telephone call sent to the recipient, and the telephone system generates the current sequence marker by incrementing that most recent sequence marker by 1.

[0024] In a further example, an accessible field into which the current sequence marker is inserted in the caller ID information regarding the telephone call.

[0025] In another embodiment, the recipient receives a telephone call sent by the caller, the current sequence marker is identified from the caller ID information, and then the current sequence marker is compared with a predicted sequence marker predicted from the most recent sequence marker. If the current sequence marker identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence marker, the telephone call is flagged as suspicious.

[0026] In a further embodiment, the current sequence marker is a string consisting of alphanumeric characters that are human-readable.

[0027] In another embodiment, the databases on the sender side and the receiver side are respectively coupled to the sender ID databases on the sender side and the receiver side, and those sender ID databases hold fields for the phone numbers of the sender and the receiver, a field for the most recent sequence identifier used in a series of phone calls, and a field for the current next sequence identifier to be used for the next phone call in a series of phone calls. The sender ID database is further configured to automatically update the current sequence identifier in the sender-side sender ID database to reflect the initiation of the phone call when the phone call is initiated by the sender, and to automatically update the predicted sequence identifier in the receiver-side sender ID database when the sequence identifier extracted from the sender ID information of the received phone call matches the predicted sequence identifier obtained from the receiver-side sender ID database.

[0028] In one aspect of the present invention, a method for verifying the authenticity of a phone call transmitted from a sender's telephone to a receiver, wherein both the sender and the receiver each have a phone number and are accessible to a sender ID system having an accessible field for receiving content, and the content of the accessible field is visible to the receiver upon receipt of the phone call. The method includes the following steps: · Identifying the receiver of the phone call initiated by the sender; [[ID=#]] · Generating a current sequence marker for the receiver, the current sequence marker representing the next sequence identifier in a series of phone calls between the sender and the receiver; · Inserting the current sequence marker into the accessible field of the sender ID information and causing the current sequence marker to be included in the sender ID information presented to the receiver of the phone call by the sender ID system, or a sender ID system interoperable with the telephone device and the telephone system; and · Subsequently, sending the phone call. Upon receipt of the phone call, the method includes the following steps: • The process of identifying the caller's ID information; • The process of identifying the current sequence identifier from the caller ID information corresponding to that telephone call; • The process of generating a predictive sequence identifier corresponding to the caller: The process of comparing the current sequence identifier in the caller ID information of the telephone call with the predicted sequence identifier; and - A step in which, if the current sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence identifier, the voice telephone call is flagged as suspicious.

[0029] In a further embodiment, the accessible field into which the current sequence identifier is inserted is configured such that, upon receiving a telephone call, the recipient can view the current sequence identifier by simply reading the field without answering the call, and the recipient's telephone, or the recipient's telephone connected to the recipient's telephone system or caller ID system, is configured to flag the voice telephone call as suspicious if the current sequence marker identified from the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence marker.

[0030] In one aspect of the present invention, a caller ID system for tracking multiple telephone calls from a caller to a receiver, each telephone call having a telephone number and accessible fields. The caller ID system includes a caller's telephone operably coupled to a caller ID database. The system is configured to transmit caller ID information with telephone calls to receivers, and the caller ID database stores contact information corresponding to the receiver, including the telephone number corresponding to the receiver and a sequence identifier representing the most recent predicted value in a series of telephone calls pre-agreed between the caller and the receiver. The caller ID database and the caller ID system are configured to insert a sequence identifier for the receiver into an accessible field of the caller ID information transmitted with each individual telephone call to each receiver, and are configured to update the sequence identifier for the receiver in the caller ID database as each telephone call is sent. Furthermore, the system includes a receiver's telephone operably coupled to a receiver-side caller ID database, and the receiver-side caller ID application is configured to receive multiple telephone calls from the caller. The receiver database stores contact information corresponding to the caller, including the caller's telephone number and sequence identifier. The recipient's caller ID system is designed to parse caller ID information to extract a sequence identifier from accessible fields sent by the caller. This generates the extracted sequence identifier. The system then retrieves the caller's sequence identifier from the database and compares it to the extracted sequence identifier. If there is a mismatch, the system flags the voice call as suspicious. This can trigger a real-time warning message, either as text displayed on the phone's hardware or as a voice message before the call is answered, alerting the recipient that the call is unverified and potentially fraudulent. Additional alert indicators may include a dedicated ringtone, flashing light, colored light, or voice signal from the phone. This may involve parsing caller ID information corresponding to the phone call to extract the current sequence identifier, identifying the caller of the phone call in the recipient's database, retrieving a predicted sequence identifier corresponding to the caller from the recipient's database, comparing the current sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information with the predicted sequence identifier retrieved from the recipient's database, and flagging the voice phone call as suspicious if the sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information does not match the predicted sequence identifier retrieved from the recipient's database. In one embodiment, the real-time warning message includes an audio message inserted by the receiving telecommunications carrier, which may play the warning message to the user after answering the call but before the call is connected, or it may be superimposed on an existing connection after answering the call.

[0031] In another embodiment, the caller is on the same telephone system as the recipient.

[0032] In another embodiment, the recipient's caller ID system flags a call as suspicious if the sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the call does not match a predicted sequence identifier, and the recipient has a different telephone system than the caller.

[0033] In one aspect of the present invention, a caller ID system for receiving telephone calls transmitted from a caller to a receiver within a telephone system, wherein each telephone call has a caller telephone number, a receiver telephone number, and one or more accessible fields, and the caller ID system comprises a receiver's telephone operably coupled to a receiver-side database of telephone contacts. The recipient's database is configured to store contact information corresponding to the caller, including the caller's phone number and sequence identifier. The sequence identifier represents the most recent predicted value, pre-agreed upon in a series of phone calls between the caller and the recipient. The recipient's database and the recipient's phone are configured to examine incoming voice phone calls and, for each phone call to the recipient, identify the sequence identifier corresponding to the caller in an accessible field of the caller ID information. The recipient's database is further configured to update the sequence identifier corresponding to the caller in the recipient's database each time a telephone call is made to the recipient. The recipient-side caller ID application is configured to be linked with the recipient-side database, receive multiple phone calls from the caller, parse the caller ID information for each phone call, and generate an extracted sequence identifier by extracting a sequence identifier from the accessible fields of the caller ID transmitted by the caller. The recipient's caller ID application and the recipient's database are configured to subsequently compare the extracted sequence identifier with the predicted sequence identifier in the recipient's database. In this system, if the extracted sequence identifier does not match the predicted sequence identifier, the call is flagged as suspicious, or, if the sequence identifier is the first sequence identifier received so far in a call from the caller, the sequence identifier in the database is updated so that future calls can be verified using the ordered numbering and other components and processes of the present invention. If the sequence identifier cannot be parsed or extracted from the caller ID information of a call, the system flags that call as unverifiable or potentially suspicious, as it does not conform to the method of using caller ID numbering with ordered numbers.

[0034] In another embodiment, the recipient-side caller ID system flags a phone call as suspicious if the sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the phone call does not match a predicted sequence identifier, and the caller ID system, caller ID database, and recipient-side telephone system maintain records of potentially fraudulent or phishing voice phone calls or other phone calls where the sequence identifier does not match, thereby enabling other caller ID systems and other telephone systems to assist in verifying the phone call history of potentially fraudulent callers.

[0035] In another embodiment, the recipient's caller ID system flags a telephone call as suspicious if the caller ID information corresponding to the call is incomplete, if there is no caller ID information corresponding to the call, or if there is problematic caller ID information from a call traversing incompatible telephone systems or jurisdictions, and further flags the call as potentially fraudulent. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0036] The features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description, which describes exemplary embodiments in which the principles of the present invention are utilized, as well as by referring to the accompanying drawings or figures.

[0037] [Figure 1] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a system for identifying potentially fraudulent telephone calls during a telephone call from caller A to recipient B, according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0038] [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call from a caller's telephone to a recipient, according to another aspect of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0039] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein as appropriate. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Accordingly, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be constrained, but rather should be interpreted merely as the basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the present invention in various ways in substantially any appropriately detailed structures. It should be understood that other embodiments may be used, and structural modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0040] Several embodiments illustrating all the features of the present invention are described in detail below. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” as well as other derivatives thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and are intended to be open in that one or more items following any of these words do not mean an exhaustive list of such one or more items, nor do they mean that the invention is limited to only the one or more items listed.

[0041] Furthermore, it should be noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a, an" and "the" also include multiple references. Any systems and methods similar to or equivalent to those described herein may be used in carrying out or testing embodiments of the present invention, but preferred systems and methods of the present invention are described below.

[0042] This invention introduces a method aimed at improving the security and authenticity of telephone communications between callers and receivers. By integrating sequence markers into caller ID information, the system tracks and verifies the continuous history of telephone calls. This allows receivers to verify the authenticity of incoming calls without answering, preventing telephone fraud such as phishing attempts. Human-readable alphanumeric markers ensure clarity and ease of verification, contributing to enhanced security in the communication environment.

[0043] In one embodiment, Figure 1 illustrates an aspect to which the present invention relates in the exchange of telephone calls between users via a telephone system in which caller ID is used. The system of the present invention, generally referred to as item 10, consists of two telephone devices 12 and 14 communicating with each other via a telephone network 16. In most practical applications, the telephone network 16 is a communication network capable of transmitting telephone calls between different telephone carriers and caller ID information between caller A and receiver B, but may be another type of telephone system, such as one with other digital, cellular, mobile, or voice-over-IP (VOIP) capabilities. The telephone network 16 can facilitate telephone calls from caller A to receiver B and may use a standard protocol or proprietary method for transmitting telephone calls to send caller A's call 22 to receiver B's telephone 14.

[0044] The telephone system 17 of caller A and the telephone system 38 of recipient B incorporate processes that comply with their respective protocols and standards for transmitting and displaying caller ID information. The data source 20 holds data about the contacts of the telephone call and also includes data about the history of previously made telephone calls.

[0045] It is essential that the data source 20 is configured to hold contact information of telephone call recipients and to allow the storage and retrieval of sequence identifiers 26 corresponding to each recipient. In the present invention, the data source 20 can operate in several forms, including (i) a traditional relational database such as Microsoft SQL Server, or (ii) a delimited text file database holding recipient contact information and sequence identifiers 26 corresponding to each recipient, or (iii) a data file containing recipient contact information and sequence identifiers 26 for each recipient, or (iv) a record of previously transmitted telephone calls (hereinafter referred to as "telephone call history") stored in their native form within Caller A, Caller A's telephone system 37, and Process 2, or stored in a data source 20 accessible from them, or (v) other records or copies of the telephone call history that hold recipient contact information and sequence identifiers 26 for each recipient.

[0046] Whether the data source 20 is a traditional database, a data file, or other form of telephone call history, the data source 20 is accessible and interoperable with other components of the present invention as described herein. The data source 20 includes data relating to components of telephone calls previously sent from caller A to recipient, and may also include historical data and other data relating to previously made telephone calls, including (i) a caller ID field such as caller name and the recipient's telephone number 24.

[0047] Regardless of where the data source 20 resides, or whether the data source 20 is a traditional database or another form of accessible telephone call history, its purpose is to hold information about telephone calls made in the past, which includes the telephone number 26 and sequence identifier 26 of the telephone call recipients corresponding to each recipient, or the next sequence marker 30 corresponding to each recipient, or both the sequence identifier 26 and the next sequence marker 30 corresponding to each recipient. The data source 20 may reside in the caller's telephone 12, or in the caller A's telephone system 37, or in another location such as within the wide-area telephone network 16 or in a third-party system.

[0048] In the present invention, if the data source 20 is an accessible call history relating to previously made telephone calls, then the recipient's contact information and the sequence identifier 26 are also searchable or identifiable. For example, by reading the call history in a data folder of previously transmitted telephone calls located within the telephone system 37, the caller ID application 18 on the telephone 12, caller A (manually), or process 2 (programmatically) can determine what the next sequence marker 30 will be. The caller A's telephone 12 may be a traditional telephone that is a telephone network 16-compatible device, or it may be a mobile phone, internet phone, or other type of telephone. The telephone 12 uses the caller ID application 18, and possibly process 2, to make a telephone call to a recipient such as recipient B. In other telephone systems, when a carrier attempts to look up caller ID information for a telephone call 22 that will be displayed to recipient B on recipient B's telephone 14, recipient B's telephone system 38 may access the caller ID application 18. The caller ID application 18 may reside on the local telephone 14, on a component of the communication telephone system 37, or it may be accessible via the telephone network 16. The telephone 14 and the caller ID application 18 can also access a data source 20 (as a database or an accessible call history) which may reside in the local telephone 14, the local server, the local network, or in a third-party system accessible by the telephone system 37, the telephone system 38, or the telephone network 16. Regardless of where the data source 20 resides, whether it takes the form of a traditional database or an accessible call history, or how its components are accessed, the data source 20 is operationally coupled to the caller ID application 18.

[0049] Regardless of the arrangement of the data source 20 (as a database or accessible call history) and the caller ID application 18, the telephone 12 is configured to transmit one or more voice telephone calls 22 from caller A to recipient B, more specifically between telephone 12 and telephone 14 operated or controlled by caller A and recipient B respectively. Recipient B's telephone 14 is a telephone network 16-enabled device such as a traditional telephone, mobile phone, IP phone, or other type of telephone. Recipient B's telephone 14 has access to the caller ID application 18. The recipient's name, telephone number 24, and other relevant information regarding multiple contacts are stored in the data source 20 (as a database or accessible call history). The data source 20 is operablely coupled to the sequence identifier 26. The function of the sequence identifier 26 is to enumerate each telephone call from caller A to each recipient contact of caller A, and to maintain for each contact a component of the data source 20 (as a database or accessible telephone call history) such that each ordered sequence of telephone calls from caller A to each of its contacts is identified by the following value in a predictable order that is intuitively familiar and understandable in the language and / or culture of the recipient. In the example in Figure 1, this predictable sequence consists of standard Arabic integers, where the number "76" represents the most recent sequence marker from a past telephone call sent from caller A to receiver B. In this example, the number "77" represents the next sequence marker 30 which will be used in the caller ID of a future telephone call 22 sent from caller A to receiver B. Since the present invention is designed to facilitate human recognition and convenience, in this embodiment, the sequence identifier 26 of caller A for a telephone call with recipient B consists of a sequence of Arabic numerals that simply increment. (For the initial telephone call from caller A to recipient B, the initial value of the call sequence number must be used. This initial value of the sequence number may be the Arabic numeral "1" or another number used to start the sequence.)

[0050] It is assumed that recipient B will notice that the sequence marker for the most recent phone call was "76," and therefore the sequence marker for the next legitimate and expected phone call from caller A should be "77."

[0051] Other sequences derived from the languages ​​and cultures of the sender and receiver can also effectively function as other embodiments within the scope of the present invention. For example, sequences derived from Roman numerals, the alphabet, or lyrics of familiar poems or songs.

[0052] In another embodiment, multimedia such as images may be used to extend the caller ID information. This would significantly expand the range of potential sequence markers, for example, by using photographs or icons to display a recognizable sequence.

[0053] In this embodiment of the present invention, the caller also utilizes Process 2, which is an application or script used in conjunction with the caller ID application 18 to create and transmit a voice telephone call.

[0054] Therefore, in the present invention, the caller ID application 18, which creates a single-line string of caller ID information, executes another process 2 in which it programmatically inserts an appropriate next sequence marker 30 into the caller ID information displayed to recipient B. In this way, the next sequence marker 30 is embedded in and becomes part of the caller ID information 36.

[0055] In addition to placing the following sequence marker 30 within the caller ID information 36 of the telephone call 22, the following sequence marker 30 may also be inserted at any position within the area of ​​caller ID information visible to the recipient when the telephone 14 receives the telephone call or when the caller ID information transmitted as part of the telephone call is presented.

[0056] In most caller ID applications 18, the line containing caller ID information 36 is immediately visible before answering a telephone call. Therefore, the best use of the present invention is for caller A to manually, or programmatically, use process 2 and the caller ID application 18 to determine the location of the caller ID information 36 for a telephone call, which is where the next sequence marker 30 will be inserted. Using the next sequence marker 30 in the caller ID information 36 means that recipient B does not need to answer the phone call 22 to confirm the next sequence marker 30, thereby allowing recipient B to more quickly and easily identify potentially fraudulent voice call attempts. Application 18 and process 2 are configured to send a phone call from phone 12 to phone 14 by extracting information from data source 20 (as a database or accessible phone call history) and using the extracted information to populate various fields in the phone call 22 before sending the phone call. For example, recipient B's telephone number 24 is extracted from data source 20 and inserted into the recipient-side caller ID information of telephone call 22. In another embodiment of the present invention, caller A manually reads information from data source 20 (as a database or accessible telephone call history). Then, as part of making a telephone call, manually enters various fields in the caller ID information of telephone call 22, including the use of the next sequence marker 30 in the caller ID information. Caller A can read components of data source 20 (as a database or accessible telephone call history) to determine the next sequence marker 30.

[0057] In another embodiment of the present invention, caller A may rely on other methods to track sequence identifiers 26 and subsequent sequence markers 30 relating to recipient B and other contacts. For example, this includes (i) simply using human memory to track them, (ii) using written paper records to track them, (iii) using another database, computer application, or computer file stored on telephone 12 or another device or system accessible to caller A to track them, or (iv) using another method to track them. In this alternative embodiment, instead of relying on process 2 to programmatically insert subsequent sequence markers 30, caller A may manually insert subsequent sequence markers 30 into caller ID information 36, thereby helping to detect and prevent telephone fraud and phishing attempts by using caller ID numbering with ordered numbers.

[0058] Application 18, process 2, and data source 20 (as a database or accessible telephone call history) then work together to extract the most recent sequence identifier 26 corresponding to its recipient from the components in data source 20, and in this embodiment, generate a new next sequence marker 30 by arithmetically incrementing the value from 76 to 77. Process 2 then updates the sequence identifier corresponding to recipient B in data source 20 as appropriate, and stores or saves markers, indicators, and other data for later identification or calculation of the values ​​of sequence identifier 26, next sequence marker 30, both sequence identifier 26 and next sequence marker 30, or one or both of sequence identifier 26 or next sequence marker 30, until extraction is performed for the next voice phone call from caller A to recipient B. Other database components in data source 20 relating to the history of telephone calls previously sent from caller A to recipient B may also be stored within data source 20 (as database 20 or accessible telephone call history), along with sequence identifiers and sequence markers. However, if data source 20 takes the form of telephone call history, it may not be necessary to store or save information about sequence identifier 26 or the next sequence marker 30 within the database components. This is because caller A or process 2 can simply read the telephone call history when needed to determine what sequence identifier 26 is and what the next sequence marker 30 will be.

[0059] The precise method of communication between the caller ID application 18, the telephone network 16, the telephone system 37, and the telephone system 38 is not important to the present invention.

[0060] The next sequence marker 30 can be placed at the beginning of the caller ID information, anywhere within the caller ID information, or at the end of the subject line information. In the present invention, when a telephone call 22 is generated by caller A using an interoperable data source 20 (as a database or accessible telephone call history) and a caller ID application 18, process 2 programmatically inserts the next sequence marker 30 into the caller ID information 36 of the telephone call 22. In another embodiment of the present invention, the next sequence marker may be inserted into the caller ID information 36 programmatically without being inserted by caller A. In this case, the application determines the next sequence marker 30 by referring to components in the data source 20, generates caller ID information, and inserts the next sequence marker 30 into the caller ID information 36.

[0061] In a further embodiment, if a sequence marker 30 is not found in the caller ID information 36 before the telephone call is sent to the recipient, another application running on or interoperating with the telephone network may intercept the telephone call at a later stage and programmatically insert the next sequence marker 30.

[0062] As described above, the next sequence marker 30 can be inserted anywhere in the telephone call 22, but if the next sequence marker 30 is placed near the beginning of the caller ID information 36, it will conform to the protocol for caller ID.

[0063] The present invention helps human users recognize and understand the importance of sequence identifiers 26 and sequence markers 30 (similar to page numbers in this embodiment). Once a human user recognizes or learns the importance of sequence identifiers, no further or prior expertise is required. Recipient B may be helped to understand that if a call claims to be from caller A but lacks the correct next sequence marker 30, or if there is no sequence marker at all, the call may be a phishing or fraudulent attempt and should be investigated further as it is suspicious.

[0064] Such assistance may be provided by a combination of the caller ID application 18, the data source 20 (as a database or accessible call history), and process 2 notifying recipient B if the next sequence marker 30 received as part of the telephone call 22 does not match the expected sequence identifier, i.e., if the sequence is disrupted. The caller ID application 18, by interoperating with other components, can, for example, change the color of the caller ID notification message, notify recipient B using a screen display message on the telephone 14, or otherwise notify recipient B that the telephone call may be a potentially phishing attempt and should be treated as a suspicious telephone call. Alternatively, recipient B can determine whether a telephone call is potentially a phishing or fraudulent attempt by manually comparing the next sequence marker 30 with the sequence identifier 26. Thus, the present invention enables recipients to detect telephone phishing attempts or other fraudulent voice telephone calls using ordered numbers in caller ID information, as well as other components and processes of the present invention.

[0065] In another embodiment, Figure 2 shows a flowchart 200 of a method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call originating from a caller's telephone to a recipient. The method includes one or more callers and one or more recipients, each having a telephone number and access to a caller ID system having an accessible field for receiving content. The content of this accessible field is visible to the recipient when the telephone call is received. The method includes a first step 202 in which the caller selects the telephone number or contact information of a target recipient from the caller's directory or address book by selecting from a saved contact or by manually entering the recipient's telephone number. In step 204, the caller's system generates a current sequence marker representing the next consecutive number in a series of telephone calls between the caller and the receiver. In step 206, the caller's system inserts the current sequence marker into an accessible field of the caller ID information to ensure that the marker is included in the caller ID data presented to the telephone call receiver by the caller ID system or a system interoperating with the telephone and telephone network, and then makes the telephone call.

[0066] This method further includes step 208, in which the receiving system identifies caller ID information associated with the incoming telephone call. This step ensures that the receiving system recognizes and can process the caller ID details provided by the caller. In step 210, the receiving system extracts the current sequence identifier from the caller ID information associated with the telephone call. This step enables the receiving system to obtain specific sequence markers inserted by the caller. In step 212, the receiving system generates a predicted sequence identifier corresponding to the caller. This involves determining the predicted next sequence number based on the caller's past telephone calls.

[0067] This method further includes step 214. In step 214, the current sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information is compared with a predicted sequence identifier. This step verifies the consistency between the received sequence marker and the predicted sequence marker. In step 216, if the sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information does not match the predicted sequence identifier, the voice call is flagged as suspicious. This step helps identify potentially fraudulent or malicious phone calls. Flagging notifies the recipient of a potential security issue regarding the incoming call. Warnings about potentially suspicious phone calls when the caller ID information does not match the predicted sequence identifier may be presented to the user in one or more ways. Such embodiments include text messages displayed on the telephone hardware to the recipient of a telephone call, audio signals, flashing lights, colored lights, or other visual indicators presented to the recipient from the telephone hardware, or audio messages presented to the recipient when the telephone receiver is picked up that warn the recipient that the telephone call may be fraudulent, or other means for providing the recipient with a flag, notification message, or warning.

[0068] The advantages described above, and the advantages revealed in the preceding description, are effectively achieved. Since it is possible to make certain modifications to the above configuration without departing from the scope of the present invention, all matters included in the preceding description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be construed as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0069] Furthermore, the following claims should be understood to encompass all of the general and specific features of the invention described herein, as well as all descriptions relating to the scope of the invention that can be said to fall somewhere in between in terms of language.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call transmitted from the caller's telephone to the recipient, Both the caller and the receiver each have a telephone number and access to a caller ID system that has an accessible field for receiving content. The contents of the accessible field are visible to the recipient when a telephone call is received. The above method includes the following steps: A step of identifying the recipient of a telephone call initiated by the aforementioned caller; A step of generating a current sequence marker for the recipient, wherein the current sequence marker indicates the next sequence identifier in a series of telephone calls between the caller and the recipient; and The process of inserting the current sequence marker into the accessible field of the caller ID information, and including the current sequence marker in the caller ID information presented to the recipient of the telephone call by the caller ID system, or the caller ID system interoperating with the telephone device and the telephone system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current sequence marker is generated from a telephone call history representing a record of telephone calls previously made from the caller to the receiver.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current sequence marker includes one or more characters selected from an ordered set of elements, including letters, numbers, words from an ordered word list, symbols from an ordered symbol list, icons from an ordered icon list, and images from an ordered image list.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telephone call history is stored in a database connected to the caller's telephone system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the database and the caller ID application are configured to programmatically generate the current sequence marker and insert the current sequence marker into the accessible field before transmitting the telephone call and the caller ID information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caller's telephone system queries the call history, which represents a record of telephone calls previously sent from the caller to the receiver, in order to generate the current sequence marker, and the caller then inserts the current sequence marker into the accessible field of the caller ID information before sending a voice telephone call to the receiver.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the telephone call history includes the most recent sequence marker for the most recent telephone call made and transmitted to the recipient, and the telephone system generates the current sequence marker by incrementing the most recent sequence marker by 1.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current sequence marker is inserted into the accessible field in the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call.

9. The process of the receiver receiving the telephone call originated from the caller, A step of identifying the current sequence marker from the aforementioned caller ID information, Subsequently, the process involves comparing the current sequence marker with the predicted sequence marker predicted from the most recent sequence marker. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of flagging a telephone call as suspicious if the current sequence marker identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence marker.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sequence marker at the present time is a human-readable alphanumeric string.

11. The sender database and the recipient database are further comprising: Each of the aforementioned databases is linked to the sender ID database on the sender side and the recipient side, respectively. The aforementioned caller ID database is: A field for the telephone numbers of the caller and the recipient, A field for the most recent sequence identifier used in a series of telephone calls, It holds a field for the current next sequence identifier to be used for the next call in a series of phone calls, The aforementioned caller ID database further: When the aforementioned call is initiated by the aforementioned caller, the current next sequence identifier in the caller's ID database is automatically updated to reflect the initiation of the aforementioned call, and The method according to claim 1, further configured to automatically update the predicted sequence identifier in the recipient's caller ID database if the sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information of the received telephone call matches the predicted sequence identifier obtained from the recipient's caller ID database.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caller is in the same telephone system as the receiver.

13. A method for verifying the authenticity of a telephone call transmitted from the caller's telephone to the recipient, Both the caller and the receiver each have a telephone number and access to a caller ID system that has an accessible field for receiving content. The contents of the accessible field are visible to the recipient when a telephone call is received. The above method includes the following steps: - A step of identifying the recipient of the telephone call initiated by the caller; - A step of generating a current sequence marker for the recipient, wherein the current sequence marker represents the next sequence identifier in a series of telephone calls between the caller and the recipient; - The process of inserting the current sequence marker into the accessible field of the caller ID information, including the current sequence marker in the caller ID information presented to the recipient of the telephone call by the caller ID system, or the caller ID system interoperating with the telephone device and the telephone system, and then sending the telephone call; - A step of identifying the caller ID information on the caller's side when the telephone call is received by the recipient; - A step of identifying the current sequence identifier from the caller ID information of the telephone call; - A step of generating a predictive sequence identifier for the caller; - A step of comparing the current sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call with the predicted sequence identifier; and - If the sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence identifier, the process of flagging the voice telephone call as suspicious by one of the following methods: - To display a text notification message in real time upon receiving a telephone call, which is presented to the telephone call recipient and displayed on the telephone's hardware; - Presenting a voice message to the recipient of a telephone call before answering it, in order to warn the recipient that the telephone call they are about to answer may be unverifiable, suspicious, or fraudulent; or - Use other alert indicators, such as a distinctive or dedicated ringtone, flashing light on the phone, colored light on the phone, voice signals from the phone, or other notification messages.

14. The accessible field into which the current sequence identifier is inserted is configured such that, upon receiving the telephone call, the recipient can view the current sequence identifier simply by reading the field without having to answer the telephone call. The method according to claim 13, wherein the recipient's telephone, or the recipient's telephone connected to the recipient's telephone system or caller ID system, is configured to flag a telephone call as suspicious if the current sequence marker identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence marker.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the real-time warning message includes the voice message inserted by the receiving telecommunications carrier, the voice message plays the notification message to the user after answering the telephone call but before the telephone call is connected, or can be superimposed on an existing connection after answering the telephone call.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the caller ID system on the recipient side flags a telephone call as suspicious if the sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence identifier, and the recipient has a different telephone system than the caller.

17. The recipient's caller ID system flags a telephone call as suspicious if the sequence identifier identified from the caller ID information of the telephone call does not match the predicted sequence identifier. The method according to claim 13, wherein the caller ID system, the caller ID database, and the recipient-side telephone system maintain records of potentially fraudulent voice calls or phishing voice calls or other calls in which the sequence identifier does not match, thereby enabling telecommunications carriers, other caller ID systems, extended caller ID systems, regulators, and other telephone systems to analyze behaviors and patterns in caller ID spoofing and to verify the call history of potentially fraudulent callers, and fraudulent calls reported by users may also be maintained in the voice call records.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the recipient's caller ID system flags a telephone call as suspicious if the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call is incomplete, if there is no caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call, if there is problematic caller ID information from a telephone call passing through incompatible telephone systems or jurisdictions, or if the caller ID information is blocked, and also flags the telephone call as unverifiable and potentially fraudulent.

19. A caller ID system for tracking multiple telephone calls from a caller to a recipient, Each of the aforementioned telephone calls has a telephone number and is accessible to an accessible field, and the caller ID system comprises the following: - A caller's telephone that is operablely linked to the caller ID database, It is configured to send caller ID information along with the telephone call to the recipient. The caller ID database is configured to store contact information corresponding to the recipient, including the recipient's telephone number and sequence identifier. The sequence identifier represents the most recent predicted value agreed upon in advance during a series of telephone calls between the caller and the receiver. The caller ID database and the caller ID system are configured to insert the sequence identifier for each recipient into the accessible field of the caller ID information transmitted with each individual telephone call to each recipient. The caller ID database is further configured to update the sequence identifier for the recipient in the caller ID database when each telephone call is sent to the recipient; - The recipient's telephone, which is operablely linked to the recipient's caller ID database, The recipient's caller ID application is configured to receive the multiple telephone calls from the caller. The recipient's database is configured to store contact information corresponding to the caller, including the caller's telephone number and the sequence identifier. The recipient-side caller ID system analyzes the caller ID information in order to extract the sequence identifier from the accessible fields of the caller ID information transmitted by the caller. The telephone is further configured such that the recipient-side caller ID system and recipient-side database read the sequence identifier corresponding to the caller from the database, compare the extracted sequence identifier with the read sequence identifier, and flag the voice call as suspicious if the extracted sequence identifier does not match the read sequence identifier; The system further, - In order to extract the current sequence identifier, the caller ID information corresponding to the aforementioned telephone call is analyzed, - In the recipient's database, identify the caller of the telephone call, and read the predictive sequence identifier corresponding to that caller from the recipient's database. - Compare the current sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information of the telephone call with the predicted sequence identifier read from the recipient database. - A system that includes flagging a voice telephone call as suspicious if the sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information does not match the predicted sequence identifier read from the recipient database.

20. A caller ID system for receiving telephone calls transmitted from a caller to a recipient within a telephone system, Each of the aforementioned telephone calls has a caller's telephone number, a recipient's telephone number, and one or more accessible fields, and the caller ID system comprises the following: - The recipient's telephone, which is operablely linked to the recipient's database of telephone contacts, The recipient's database is configured to store contact information corresponding to the caller, including the caller's telephone number and sequence identifier. The sequence identifier represents the most recent predicted value agreed upon in advance during a series of telephone calls between the caller and the receiver. The recipient database and the recipient telephone are configured to examine incoming voice telephone calls and, for each telephone call to the recipient, identify the sequence identifier corresponding to the caller in the accessible field of the caller ID information. The recipient-side database is further configured to update the sequence identifier corresponding to the caller each time a telephone call is made to the recipient; - The recipient's telephone, which is operablely linked to the recipient's database, The recipient's caller ID application is configured to receive the multiple telephone calls from the caller. The recipient's database is configured to store contact information corresponding to the caller, including the caller's telephone number and the sequence identifier. The recipient's caller ID application and the recipient's database analyze the caller ID information of the telephone call, extract the sequence identifier from the accessible fields of the caller ID information transmitted by the caller, and generate the extracted sequence identifier. The extracted sequence identifier is compared with the predicted sequence identifier in the recipient-side database. If the extracted sequence identifier does not match the predicted sequence identifier, or if the extracted sequence identifier is the first sequence identifier received so far in a telephone call from the caller, the telephone is further configured to update the sequence identifier in the database so that future telephone calls can be verified using the ordered number and other components and processes of the present invention; The system further, - In order to extract the current sequence identifier from the telephone call, the accessible fields of the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call are analyzed, - The current sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information is compared with the predicted sequence identifier read from the recipient's database. If the sequence identifier extracted from the caller ID information does not match the predicted sequence identifier read from the recipient's database, the telephone call is flagged as suspicious. Alternatively, if the sequence identifier is the first sequence identifier received so far in telephone calls from the caller, the sequence identifier in the recipient database is updated so that future telephone calls can be verified using the numbered sequence and other components and processes of the present invention. A caller ID system that includes flagging a telephone call as unverifiable or potentially suspicious, if the sequence identifier cannot be parsed or extracted from the caller ID information corresponding to the telephone call, as it does not conform to a method using caller ID numbering with ordered numbers.

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