Mobile Roamer Identification Verification
– i3Forum Publishes New Position Paper
Restoring Trust in International Communications
The international telecom community continues to face growing challenges from spoofed and fraudulent calls, which erode consumer trust in legitimate communications. To address this issue, the i3Forum has released a new position paper “Solutions for Restoring Trust with Mobile Roamer Identification Verification.”
While there are many attack surfaces, one disturbing scenario includes calls in which the Calling Line Identity (CLI) is deliberately manipulated to display a trusted mobile number. Because trusted numbers typically trigger the recipient’s phone to show a saved contact name from their address book—rather than just a number—the call appears even more credible. By impersonating family members, friends, or colleagues, bad actors exploit this trust—making recipients far more likely to answer than they would an unfamiliar or anonymous call. The result is a more convincing and damaging form of fraud that undermines confidence in legitimate communications.
Developed through the i3Forum Technology Working Group, this paper dives deep into the technical mechanisms that can help distinguish legitimate roaming traffic from fraudulent calls—a critical step in restoring confidence in international voice services.
As the industry transitions from legacy SS7 signaling to LTE and 5G architectures, the coexistence of multiple roaming technologies introduces new vulnerabilities. Fraudsters exploit these gaps by impersonating roaming users with domestic mobile numbers, bypassing existing controls and damaging both consumer trust and operator reputations.
The paper presents an actionable framework centered around “is Roaming” verification checks, CAMEL and IMS home routing, and the GSMA Open Gateway’s CAMARA Device Status API—all aimed at reducing the attack surface for caller ID manipulation. It also outlines concrete recommendations for IPX carriers and international gateways, focusing on:
- Implementing robust CLI validation and anonymization measures
- Supporting standardized API-based “is Roaming” queries
- Aligning operators within each market on a common verification approach
This publication reinforces i3Forum’s ongoing contributions to the global Restore Trust Initiative, where industry collaboration with regulators and enforcement agencies (through #One Consortium and #GIRAF) remains key to tackling spam, scams, and CLI spoofing at scale.
📘 Download the full position paper and explore how your organization can participate in building a more trusted international voice ecosystem.