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KnowYourCustomer Number Recycling API Description

KnowYourCustomer Number Recycling API Description

Owned by Alberto Ramos Monaga
Last updated: Mar 24, 2025
2 min read

API Description

The โ€œNumber Recyclingโ€ API allows businesses to verify whether a phone number has changed ownership since a given date. This is essential for security-sensitive applications like authentication and customer communication, where ensuring that a phone number still belongs to the intended user is critical.

The API works by:

  • Accepting a phone number and a reference date as input.

  • Checking whether the number has been reassigned since that date.

  • Returning a response indicating whether the number is still associated with the original user.

This helps businesses prevent fraud, ensure secure authentication, and maintain accurate customer records.

Use Cases

  • Authentication Security: Prevents unauthorized access by verifying if a phone number is still linked to the original user before sending verification codes or account recovery messages.

  • Customer Communication: Ensures messages reach the intended recipient, reducing failed deliveries and privacy risks.

  • Regulatory Compliance: Helps businesses comply with data protection laws by avoiding contact with reassigned numbers.

  • Subscription and Billing Management: Confirms that a phone number remains associated with a customer before processing renewals or service changes.

Benefits

  • Enhanced Security: Reduces fraud risks by verifying ownership before authentication or recovery processes.

  • Improved Communication: Minimizes misdirected messages and failed deliveries.

  • Cost Efficiency: Avoids unnecessary messaging costs and supports issues related to outdated numbers.

  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures businesses follow privacy and data protection regulations.

API Portfolio: Authentication and Fraud Prevention

SubProject Wiki: Know Your Customer
(incl. how to meet the team)

API Wiki: Number Recycling

API Repository: Number Recycling

API Repository Status: Sandbox

API Status: In progress

API Version(s) and Release Date(s):

  • v0.1.0 (14.03.2025), Spring25 meta-release

API availability: Information which APIs are available in which country and network, and how to get access can be found on the GSMA public launch status page.

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