Traffic pumping (access stimulation): what it is and how to spot it

Traffic pumping, also called access stimulation, means inflating the volume of calls to specific numbers in order to earn termination fees. The destination operator, or a partner of theirs, benefits from each minute. The cost falls on the carriers that have to terminate the calls, and sometimes on customers whose accounts were used to generate them.

How it works

The beneficiary hosts numbers that attract unusual call volume, such as free conference, chat or similar services, in a network with a high termination rate. Calls are then driven to those numbers, either by genuine users lured by free offers or by artificial traffic from compromised accounts, automated dialers or other sources. Regulators in some markets have introduced rules aimed at access stimulation, and the details differ by country.

Warning signs in call records

• A large share of an account's or route's minutes going to a small set of numbers or one prefix.
• Many long calls to the same numbers, often from many different callers.
• A sudden rise in total minutes to a destination that was previously small.
• Calls that continue around the clock with little daily variation.
• Margin or cost per route moving sharply against the normal pattern.

How to reduce exposure

• Track destination concentration per account and per route, not only total volume.
• Set alerts on changes in minutes to individual prefixes and numbers.
• Agree cost and volume limits in contracts with customers and upstream carriers.
• Review disputes and invoices against call-record trends each day, not each month.

How Smart Gravity Shield approaches traffic pumping

Smart Gravity Shield tracks volume, spend and destination patterns against each customer's baseline and across routes. Concentration and sudden spikes raise the risk score and alert your team. You choose whether to rate-limit or block, and every action can be reversed with one click. As with any detection system, it cannot promise to catch every case.

Common questions

Is traffic pumping illegal?

It depends on the market and the facts. Some regulators restrict access stimulation, and fraud laws may apply when traffic is artificial. Get local legal advice for your situation.

How is it different from IRSF?

IRSF sends traffic to numbers that pay a revenue share to a fraudster. Traffic pumping inflates volume to earn termination fees. In call records both look like concentrated traffic to a few destinations.

This guide is general information, not legal or security advice. Fraud patterns change, and no detection system catches every case.