PRESS RELEASE

London, UK, 7 January 2020 – i3forum, a not-for-profit industry body enabling and accelerating transformation across the carrier ecosystem, has added Risk & Assurance Group (RAG), a global provider of free information and advice to telecoms risk managers, as its newest partner member. The association for telecoms risk managers will offer new expertise and experience to i3forum’s Fight Against Fraud work group and industry initiatives.

RAG attracts experienced professionals who openly exchange ideas, helping telecoms risk managers to develop techniques and tools to counter risks, frauds and leakages. It holds four annual conferences that regularly discuss wholesale fraud. Fraud costs the telecoms industry $33 billion annually according to a 2019 report from Europol and Trend Micro. 

"The addition of RAG to the i3forum as a partner member brings unique expertise to our fraud work group and continues to build on our momentum in the fight against fraud. Across our industry, there is growing recognition that combating fraud requires a coordinated, collaborative and industrywide effort. No single carrier will solve its fraud challenges alone. It takes the support of the entire carrier community," said Philippe Millet, Chairman of i3forum. "RAG shares our not-for-profit approach and is a great fit for our organisation. We look forward to working together to fight fraud across our industry."

i3forum encourages its members to actively participate in work groups, which cover a range of industry-relevant topics to benefit all members with crucial research.  As a partner member, RAG will join the Fight Against Fraud work group currently chaired by Katia Gonzalez Gutierrez, Head of Fraud Prevention Operations and Services at BICS. The group provides guidelines to the industry on fraud-related matters from a wholesale carrier perspective, as well as support to members on current fraud events 

"i3forum has created tremendous momentum in the fight against fraud. It is driving the conversation throughout the carrier industry and facilitating collaboration through its work groups and events," said Eric Priezkalns, Chief Executive at Risk & Assurance Group. "At RAG we support collaboration and are excited to assist i3forum as it brings together carriers and vendors within the telco community. We hope our involvement will add new insights and get more of our members involved in tackling fraud on a wider scale."

Over the last two years, i3forum has ramped up its contributions to the fight against fraud beyond just its work group. In 2018, it launched a Code of Conduct in partnership with the Global Leaders Forum (GLF) to give all players across the global carrier ecosystem steps for protecting their businesses and preventing fraudsters from profiting from criminal activity. At ITW 2019, i3forum hosted an anti-fraud workshop that brought together members and non-members to discuss how the carrier community can co-ordinate and accelerate efforts to fight fraud.  

In addition to running large and popular conferences that are free for telecoms employees, RAG has undertaken several online initiatives to further support the work of fraud and risk professionals. These include the RAG Wangiri Blockchain, which telcos may use to freely share intelligence about Wangiri fraud attacks, and RAG Learning, an online training system that provides free courses about fraud management and related skills.

About i3forum 
i3forum is a not-for-profit industry body that brings together the international Carrier ecosystem to enable and accelerate transformation. Its members promote industrywide collaboration with an open and inclusive model focused on enabling success in a changing market. i3forum decides the challenges and topics to address based on what will accelerate transformation and create real benefits for members and the entire telecommunications ecosystem. The members develop and curate practical recommendations and best practice for adopting and delivering new technologies, solutions and business models with the ultimate goal of having a positive and lasting impact on the telecommunications industry. 

www.i3forum.org

About Risk & Assurance Group

The Risk & Assurance Group (RAG) is dedicated to improving the practice of risk management, business assurance, fraud management and security within the providers of electronic communications services. RAG is a not-for-profit corporation run by experts in the field of risk and assurance within telcos. We seek to facilitate the education and networking of professionals in order to improve standards of performance, reduce waste, and better serve customers. Practitioners may attend our events and access our online services free of charge; financial support is provided by specialist vendors with an interest in highlighting the importance of the work done in this field, and in expanding its remit.

riskandassurancegroup.org