Swisscom and Sunrise launch real-time telecom fraud data consortium

Swisscom and Sunrise have formed a real-time fraud intelligence consortium with LexisNexis Risk Solutions, giving Switzerland’s two largest telecom providers a shared system for identifying suspicious activity across their networks. Finextra reported that the initiative, described as the first fraud risk consortium of its kind, has already identified more than 4,000 high-risk data attributes in its first three months and lifted fraud detection by 150%.

The arrangement is designed to address fraud at the telecom layer, where digital onboarding, authentication and account verification often begin before activity reaches banks, ecommerce platforms or other service providers. Finextra said international regulatory frameworks are putting greater pressure on firms to strengthen fraud controls across digital channels, including earlier intervention in scam activity.

Telecom operators occupy a central position in digital identity flows because mobile numbers and network data are frequently used to validate customers, secure accounts and support transactions. According to the figures reported by Finextra, more than one in 20 digital interactions in the communications, mobile and media sector was a confirmed fraud attack in 2025. That rate was above ecommerce, at 4.6%, and five times higher than the rate seen in financial services.

How the consortium works

The consortium allows Swisscom and Sunrise to exchange risk information on fraudulent events as they occur. When one provider blocks a fraudster or identifies a high-risk signal, the other can receive feedback quickly enough to check whether the same actor, device, account pattern or other data attribute is appearing in its own environment.

Finextra said fraudsters blocked by one Swiss telecom provider often shift their attempts to another provider. The shared feedback mechanism is intended to reduce that gap by giving each member an early warning when known risk indicators emerge elsewhere in the telecom market.

The model does not replace each operator’s own fraud controls. It adds a shared intelligence layer that can help participants detect recurring risk signals across company boundaries. In practice, that means a blocked or suspicious pattern at one operator can become a warning input for another operator before a similar attempt progresses further.

Fraud pressure at onboarding and payments

Finextra reported that attacks in the telecom sector are concentrated in new account creation, where around one in eight attempts was an attack. Payment activity also showed rising pressure, with attacks up 84% year on year, according to the same figures.

The data underlines why banks have pressed telecom firms to improve detection of fraudulent accounts before those accounts can be used in scams against banking customers, Finextra said. Telecom accounts, mobile credentials and related identity signals can be used early in a fraud chain, making earlier detection relevant to financial institutions and digital merchants as well as network providers.

Michael Hohermuth, fraud manager at Swisscom, said the real-time connection with Sunrise allows each firm to react when the other detects a threat. “The ability to act on high-risk signals before a fraud attempt hits, enhances our approach to threat management,” Hohermuth said. “The real-time feedback loop with Sunrise means that if either member spots a threat, the other can act when that same threat actor comes knocking at our door.”

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.