Head of Secure-D, Dimitris Maniatis will deliver keynote speech on latest findings
London, October 29th, 2018 – Upstream, who is leading the mobile internet revolution in high growth markets, providing 1.2 billion people with affordable and secure access to digital services, will be participating at AfricaCom again, taking place between 13th – 15th November 2018. As in previous years, Upstream will be an exhibitor at the continent’s top technology and telecoms conference. Moreover, the Head of the company’s anti-fraud platform Secure-D, Dimitris Maniatis, will be delivering a keynote presentation at the event, outlining how the business has uncovered the ad fraud threat that is impacting millions of African consumers.
Upstream will meet with key decision makers over the three-day event, where they will share recent research findings into the impact of malware on direct carrier billing, from Secure-D’s findings across multiple African markets and beyond, revealing that 82% of mobile transactions are fraudulent, 81% of these being down to malware. The company will demonstrate how this malware, which sits on the devices of consumers, is designed to commit digital ad fraud, thereby collecting their personal information, depleting their mobile data allowance and triggering fraudulent charges to their pre-paid credit, all without their knowledge or consent.
As part of his keynote speech, Dimitris will be showcasing how mobile operators can take steps to protect their direct carrier billing revenue streams and millions of African subscribers by eliminating ad fraud in online transactions. He will be sharing details around Upstream’s anti-fraud platform, which processes 16 million transaction requests a day, having already identified 19 million infected devices and 42 thousand malicious applications, blocking $31 million worth of fraudulent charges, since launch.
Dimitris Maniatis, Head of Secure-D at Upstream commented: “AfricaCom has become a key event in the industry calendar and we’re delighted to be here once again, to share our findings around the impact of malware on direct carrier billing and the threats this brings to mobile online transactions. We have seen online ad fraud continue to grow, impacting millions of consumers in Africa – some of which are the most vulnerable internet users in the world. Mobile ad fraud essentially translates into fraudulent charges and data depletion for African consumers, which is tantamount to credit card fraud in developed markets. We are committed to helping mobile operators take steps to prevent this and look forward to sharing how our Secure-D platform can help protect subscribers, whilst also safeguarding operator revenue streams. We believe addressing this growing threat is critical to the future of the digital era in Africa, ensuring the internet is a safe place for all Africans.”
AfricaCom is taking place over the course of three days, attracting over 13,000 attendees and Upstream representatives will be on hand at stand B30 to answer questions, attend media briefings and share insights on how mobile operators can take steps to safeguard their subscribers online. Dimitris Maniatis, Head of Secure-D, will be delivering his keynote talk “A new threat for mobile operators: hidden mobile malware depletes subscribers’ data and triggers fraudulent charges” on November 13th, at 13:05.
