Many people use proxies to surf the internet anonymously, view online content that would be blocked in their region or bypass ISP restrictions. Fraudsters and cybercriminals also use proxies to hide their identities, manipulate web traffic and avoid detection. This makes VPN Proxy Detection a critical component of fraud prevention and cybersecurity. Whether it’s to identify risky users, mitigate risk, reduce fraud loss or improve compliance, companies need accurate data and tools to separate the good from the bad. Stopping all VPN and proxy users is not practical, so incorporating proxy detection into platforms and technologies is essential. This helps businesses ensure they’re connecting with real customers or employees and not crooks, cyber criminals, or fraudsters.

Protecting Your Network: Detecting VPN Proxy Usage

There are several ways to detect proxies, VPNs, and Tor exit nodes in the wild. One method is fingerprinting, which uses device and connection details to compare against a database of known proxies, VPNs, and Tor. Another way is using ping tests, which look for unusual delays in the delivery of data compared to normal connections. These methods can be used alone or in combination with other verification techniques to build more sophisticated models. Other techniques to spot proxies include examining the timezone of the user’s IP geolocation and comparing that with the timezone reported by their browser or device. If the times don’t match, it could be a sign that they are trying to mask their true location by using a VPN or proxy service.

A active phone number check is considered active when it can be reached and used to receive calls, texts or other communication. Inactive numbers cannot be called and are usually met with dial tones or messages stating the number is not in service. Active numbers are a critical component of your business’s reach and should be cleaned regularly to ensure proper engagement rates.

The most common way inactive numbers enter databases is through human error during data fill up, such as when a customer or applicant provides a number online while shopping for goods, signing up for services or creating a profile on an organization’s website. In addition, thousands of phone numbers are resold or disconnected every day and businesses have to manually clean their lists to ensure that only valid, reachable contacts are used for business outreach, risk scoring and other important functions.

IPQualityScore Email Validator: Accurate and Reliable Email Checks

Luckily, there is an easy solution to this problem. Real-time phone number verification can be integrated into any CRM tool or customer-facing website to instantly validate the status of a number at the point of entry, such as during signup, checkout, registration or when creating a profile on a site. The tool will lookup the number and perform a syntax check, then ping the carrier with support in over 75 countries to identify the line type (landline, mobile or VOIP) as well as its current connection status. Other data points can also be retrieved, such as the number’s risk score or abuse reporting history.