previous icon Back to blog
Dec 06, 2024
4 minutes read

Combat SMS Pumping (AIT) Fraud Effectively With CM.com

In this digital era, providing the optimal customer experience means connecting and engaging with your customers online on their favorite platforms and channels. Online (automated) customer engagement and A2P (application-to-person) messaging is bigger than ever, which unfortunately also means that messaging fraud is on the rise. Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT) fraud has become an alarming issue in the telecommunications industry, but worry not! CM.com has built the perfect safeguard feature to protect your business endeavors from AIT fraud.

What is Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT)?

Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT), SMS pumping, or traffic pumping is a type of fraud in which criminals (try to) exploit automated (SMS) log-in systems to trigger sharp spikes in traffic toward numbers they own or to a range of numbers controlled by a specific mobile network operator (MNO) with whom they conspire. Criminals reap a share of the revenue generated in this way, but the CM.com account holder gets to foot the bill.

content-fraud-monitoring-sms-pumpingSMS Pumping (AIT) can often be recognized by a spike of messages sent to a block of consecutive numbers (i.e. +1234567890, +1234567891, +1234567892, +1234567893 and so on). These numbers are most probably controlled by the same MNO. A telltale sign for fraudulent use of a one-time SMS passcode is an incomplete verification cycle. Unfortunately, advanced fraudsters even have the tools to fake a completed verification cycle.

It's safe to say that the surge in SMS Pumping fraud is worrisome for the telecommunications industry, and it can result in increased costs and reputational damage for your business. Recognizing the problem our customers face, CM.com has launched a new safeguard feature to help keep your business safe.

Read the press release: Safeguard Destination Management>

Safeguard: Destination Management

The new safeguard feature Destination Management of our communications platform will empower you to protect yourself against AIT fraud by managing messaging trafficto specific destinations (countries).

combat-sms-pumping-fraud-effectively-1Destination Blocking

You can now selectively block messaging traffic to specific destinations. For example destinations that you do no business with, or where you have no activities or interests.

Allow List

You can also implement an "allow list" approach, where all messaging destinations are blocked by default, except for those countries explicitly added to the allow list.

Available from 10-10-2023

The tool will be available for all customers in a self-service format. It will be available for customers as of 10-10-2023 via

Channels | API Access & Settings | Business Messaging Settings

We introduce a new tab named Safeguard

Combat SMS PumpingCM.com as Your Messaging Provider

CM.com is a leading provider of Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) solutions, and the Destination Management safeguard feature is just the first step in our battle against fraudulent traffic. Visit our trust center to see what other measures we take to ensure your safety.

Do you want to help us protect your business from online fraud? It's important to know the most common types of messaging fraud your business can face, and how you, in turn, can protect your customers from messaging fraud.

Want to know more about our Communications Platform and the services we offer? Or perhaps you want to have a chat about how to safeguard your business from (online) threats? Contact one of our experts! They're always happy to help.

Get Started With Our Secured Communications Platform Today!

Was this article interesting?
Share it!
CM.com
connects tens of thousands of companies with millions of consumers via their mobile phone each day. Behind the scenes, from our innovative platform, CM.com makes sure companies can use these millions of messages, phone calls and payments to become part of people’s lives.

Latest Articles

introducing-your-customizable-verification-solution-hero
Mar 06, 2025 • Security

Introducing Your Customizable Verification Solution

In today's digital world, ensuring secure and convenient online interactions is more important than ever. Every business has unique needs when it comes to protecting their digital space and their customer interactions - and different needs require different solutions. That's why CM.com introduces "Build Your Own Verification" - flexible and customizable verification that can be tailored to your specific needs.

halo
Feb 10, 2025 • CM.com

Agentic AI Agents: Helping You Get Things Done

Looking for a smart and capable employee that never sleeps? A little helper that can take over all your menial and repetitive tasks to make your life a little easier? One that will continuously learn and improve itself to keep assisting you the best it can? This may sound like a dream (and an unrealistic one at that), but it's much closer to reality than you might realize! Discover Agentic AI!

mobile-identity-service-hero
Feb 05, 2025 • Authentication

Mobile Identity Services: Know Your Users

Verifying online users and accounts has become indispensable in today's business landscape. You want to know who has access to your (online) services and data, but even if you couldn't care less, rules and regulations will definitely care! Whether it's to protect yourself and your customers from harm, or making sure you abide by the local law - making sure you know who the person on the other end of the internet is, is paramount.

ringing-the-bell-cmcom
Jan 20, 2025 • CM.com

Growing by Embracing Change

Over the past five years, we’ve made it our mission to stay ahead by adapting quickly to change and seizing new opportunities. Despite the challenges—like the global pandemic—we kept growing by staying flexible and making smart decisions. In this final blog celebrating 25 years of CM.com, we look back at a time when we showed, again and again, how we could offer innovative solutions and strengthen our organization.

puzzle cm.com
Jan 15, 2025 • CM.com

The Puzzle Comes Together: From Pieces to Platform

We started by offering just SMS services, but today we offer an integrated platform where communication, commerce, and customer engagement come together to drive meaningful business interactions. Over the past 25 years, CM.com has been assembling this platform piece by piece, with each innovation, product, and acquisition adding to the bigger picture. Let’s explore how these puzzle pieces have come together to build the CM.com of today.

Jeroen-buitenland
Jan 08, 2025 • CM.com

Pushing Boundaries: The Path to Global Success

By 2010, CM.com knew it was time to expand beyond our roots. What began in nightclubs had grown into a broader client base across various industries. It was time to push boundaries—both literally and figuratively. Here’s the story of our international journey, filled with challenges, triumphs, and lessons.

verification-services
Dec 26, 2024 • Security

Your One-Stop-Shop for Verification Services

Securing online accounts, data and users is a must in business today. At least, if you don't want to end up as the next security breach headliner in the papers. But simply implementing a bunch of security measures isn't always enough. Loose apps and services become vulnerable for fraud, and are often cost-inefficient. That's why we now offer a one-stop-shop to safely secure your business: the Verification API.

fraud-and-simplify-verification-processes-hero
Dec 12, 2024 • Security

Prevent Text Messaging Fraud and Simplify Verification Processes With Number Verify

Customer communication via text messaging has become an integral part of the modern business landscape. In recent years however, criminals have figured out that they can abuse SMS communication to scam both your business and your customers out of data and money. But not to worry, there's a new, convenient, and fast verification method that can help secure your online accounts: Number Verify!

Is this region a better fit for you?
Go
close icon