Patent ID: 7433674

Claim:
For managing the risk that a subscriber will avoid paying a bill for that subscriber's use of a provider's telecommunication system, a method that comprises employing a digital computer to: A) obtain, for a subscriber that could potentially avoid paying for use of a provider's telecommunication system, a credit score by communicating with a credit-information source concerning information relating to said subscriber; B) use said credit score to establish a credit limit for said subscriber; wherein the credit limit comprises a usage limit on monthly usage of the telecommunication system by the subscriber; C) receive, for each of at least some calls involving said subscriber, a call information record derived from information compiled by a switching center that is capable of establishing connections between a plurality of pairs of telecommunication devices and simultaneously maintaining such connections; D) use said call-information record to compare said subscriber's call usage to said credit limit for said subscriber; and E) generate an alert if said subscriber's call usage exceeds said credit limit for said particular subscriber.