How a top U.S. wireless carrier stops subscription fraud and account takeover with Incode
A top U.S. wireless carrier, one of the largest operators in the United States, uses Incode to verify subscribers across its retail, digital, and care channels. A government ID is read and matched to a live face through identity verification before a line is activated or a device is financed, and Incode re-confirms the real, enrolled account holder before a SIM change or port-out. The checks clear genuine subscribers in seconds while stopping subscription fraud and account takeover.
Incode solutions across the carrier's channels
deepfake detection accuracy
faster onboarding for genuine subscribers
U.S. telecoms verify identity with Incode
A top U.S. wireless operator, verifying identity at carrier scale
The carrier is one of the largest wireless operators in the United States, serving subscribers across retail, digital, and care channels.
It verifies identity at carrier scale: millions of new line activations across thousands of retail doors and its digital channel, plus every SIM change, port-out, and care-center request on an account that already exists.
For an operator handling millions of activations and every change on a live account, accurate identity in the moments that matter most is the goal. Identity verification confirms a genuine subscriber before a line goes live, and the same layer re-confirms the real account holder on every high-risk change, without slowing good subscribers down.
Subscription fraud and account takeover, at carrier scale
Identity fraud hits a wireless operator at two points: when a line is opened, and after it is live.
Verifying identity only at activation leaves the second door open, and since 2024 regulators require it closed. The hard part is doing both without slowing genuine subscribers down.
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Subscription fraud at activation
A stolen or synthetic identity opens a line and finances a flagship handset that never gets paid off. Telecom fraud costs the industry $38.95B a year, $5.31B of it subscription fraud on a true or stolen identity and $4.89B first-party fraud with no intent to pay (CFCA, 2023).
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Account takeover on live lines
Fraudsters socially engineer the care center or a retail rep into a SIM swap or a port-out, seizing the subscriber's number and the one-time passcodes behind it.
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A new regulatory floor
Since 2024, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules require carriers to authenticate a subscriber before a SIM change or a port-out, so strong verification at those moments is now a compliance obligation.
The carrier set the bar at accurate identity in the moments that matter most, without adding the friction that turns good subscribers away.
Identity, verified at both moments
The carrier runs Incode as the identity layer across the customer lifecycle, from the first account to every high-risk change.
Verified identity at activation
Identity Verification
A customer's government ID is read, authenticated, and matched to their live face, confirming a genuine identity before a line is activated or a device goes on an installment plan. The document check inspects IDs for tampering and counterfeit security features, stopping fraudulent documents at submission. The same flow works in store and in the app, clearing legitimate subscribers in seconds.
Recognizing repeat fraud attempts
Incode's collective intelligence solution helps surface applicants whose prior attempts have already been flagged, regardless of what identity details they present the next time. It is a capability the carrier has developed and refined over several years.
Authentication for SIM changes, port-outs, and the care center
Authentication
When a subscriber asks to swap a SIM, port out a number, or make a sensitive change through the care center, Incode re-verifies that they are the real, enrolled account holder before it goes through. That shuts down the takeover vector and satisfies the FCC's authentication requirement for those moments.
How it works
One identity layer across the lifecycle
One layer, every channel
The same verification runs at the retail counter, in the app, and in the care center, so identity is checked the same way everywhere it matters.
Document and face, checked for real
Every ID is inspected for tampering and for the security features a counterfeit gets wrong, then matched to a live face, so a fraudulent document is caught the moment it is submitted.
Repeat fraudsters recognized
Biometric checks surface applicants whose earlier attempts were already flagged, whatever identity details they present the next time.
Gated at every high-risk change
SIM swaps, port-outs, and care-center changes are held until the real, enrolled account holder is re-confirmed.
Privacy is the architecture
Incode made privacy a founding conviction long before regulation or the market asked for it. Its AI-first identity verification reduces fraud while remaining private and compliant.
Testimonial
“Our goal was to strengthen identity verification across key customer journeys without adding friction for legitimate customers.”Senior Risk Manager, a top U.S. wireless carrier
Frequently asked questions
Questions specific to the wireless carrier story
Still have questions? Talk to an expertHow does the carrier verify identity at line activation?
Incode reads the subscriber's government ID, inspects it for tampering and counterfeit security features, and matches it to the person's live face before the line is activated or a handset goes on an installment plan. The flow is identical in store and in the app, and genuine subscribers get through in seconds.
How does the carrier stop SIM swap and port-out fraud?
Any request to swap a SIM, port out a number, or make a sensitive change through the care center waits until Incode confirms the person is the real, enrolled account holder. That closes the social engineering route fraudsters use to seize a number and the one-time passcodes behind it.
What does subscription fraud cost the telecom industry?
The CFCA put telecom fraud at $38.95B a year in 2023, with $5.31B from subscription fraud on true or stolen identities and $4.89B from first-party fraud with no intent to pay. The typical pattern is a stolen or synthetic identity opening a line to finance a flagship handset that is never paid off.
How does the carrier comply with the FCC's SIM change and port-out rules?
FCC rules in force since 2024 require carriers to authenticate a subscriber before a SIM change or a port-out. Because Incode re-verifies the enrolled account holder at exactly those moments, the carrier meets the requirement as part of its normal flow.
How does the carrier recognize repeat fraud attempts?
Returning fraudsters are recognized through Incode's collective intelligence, even when they present different identity details on a later attempt, a capability the carrier has built up over several years of use.
Where does the carrier run identity verification?
Across every channel where identity matters: the retail counter, the app, and the care center, with the same check running in each place.
Does the added verification slow genuine subscribers down?
No. The same check that stops fraudulent documents gets good customers through in seconds, and onboarding for genuine subscribers runs 11x faster.
What's next
See how Incode secures identity for telecom
Verify a real identity at activation, and re-confirm the real subscriber before every high-risk change.