Patent ID: 9571640
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: H04M

Claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for detecting calls from illegitimate calling parties, at least a portion of the method being performed by at least one computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: automatically and transparently collecting, at each of a plurality of telephonic devices by a client-side application installed on each of the plurality of telephonic devices, information about a plurality of calls that were initially directed to and received at the plurality of telephonic devices, wherein the information about the plurality of calls comprises: an identifier of the calling party of each call within the plurality of calls; and information that indicates whether the calling party of each call within the plurality of calls was present within an address book of the called party to which each call within the plurality of calls was initially directed; receiving, by a server-side system from the client-side application installed on the plurality of telephonic devices, the information about the plurality of calls; analyzing, by the server-side system, the information about the plurality of calls that was automatically and transparently collected without any user action to identify at least one call pattern within the information about the plurality of calls that was automatically and transparently collected without any user action that indicates a call from an illegitimate calling party by analyzing the information that indicates whether the calling party of each call within the plurality of calls was present within an address book of the telephonic device on which each call was received to identify a threshold presence level that indicates illegitimate calling parties; detecting, at a telephonic device by the client-side application installed on the telephonic device, an incoming call; determining whether one or more calls from the calling party of the incoming call fit the call pattern that indicates a call from an illegitimate calling party by determining whether a presence level of the calling party of the incoming call is below the threshold presence level; and disposing, at the telephonic device by the client-side application installed on the telephonic device, of the incoming call based at least in part on determining whether the one or more calls from the calling party of the incoming call fit the call pattern that indicates a call from an illegitimate calling party.