Patent ID: RE41075

Claim:
A method to prevent fraudulent use of a wireless unit that is roaming in a visited system, the method comprising: as a part of registration of the wireless unit with a visited mobile switching center (MSC-V) of the visited system, causing the MSC-V to implement denial of originating communication service with respect to the wireless unit; after the registration of the wireless unit with the MSC-V and the denial of the originating communication service with respect to the wireless unit, receiving at the MSC-V a code and identification information from the wireless unit; in response to the receipt of the code, causing the MSC-V to transmit a message including the identification information to a verification element functionally connected to the visited system and a home system of the wireless unit; in response to receipt of the message, causing the verification element to carry out a verification of the identificatino information; in response to making a positive verification, causing the verification element to transit a response to the MSC-V, the response including the positive verification; and based on the positive verification received in the response, causing the MSC-V to remove the denial of the originating communication service with respect to the wireless unit, thereby initiating the communication service with respect to the wireless unit, wherein prior to receiving at the MSC-V the code and the identification information from the wireless unit, the method further comprises: receiving at the MSC-V a call attempt from the wireless unit; and causing the MSC-V in response to the call attempt to provide the wireless unit with an announcement.