Security Advisory: Rise of VoIP and Non VoIP Telephone Scams
Please be aware we’ve been informed by telephony vendors of a new style telephone based scam making the rounds. This scam isn’t restrictive to VoIP services but can be imposed on standard BT lines as well.
There are two types of this scam, One with a single scammer the second involving two offending individuals:
The First
The scammer asking to be called back on 070 numbers – sometimes via email as they are interested in taking your products and services.
Known target customer types include, but are not restricted to:
• Hotels
• Car Dealerships and Garages
• Vehicle Hire
• Telecommunication Suppliers
• Letting and Estate Agents
During the calls, the suspected scammer will either keep the call going for as long as possible.
The Second
The same method as above but the scammer incorporates asking for colleagues to be ‘conferenced’ into the call.
When the conference method is used and the victim hangs up the call, their telephone system effectively leaves the called parties connected who then leave their line open. This can result in very long calls and charges.
Although 070 numbers do have legitimate usage, we encourage you to communicate this notice to your staff in the interests of awareness and ask to be vigilant.
Our advice is:
1. Be aware of the cost to call different numbers. 070 numbers are Personal Numbers and NOT qualified as mobile number
2. If you have setup a conference call by bringing people in to the conference, ensure
all parties have disconnected before hanging up yourself.
3. If you should find yourself a victim of a suspected scam, please report this to Action Fraud
We ask all clients to please be vigilant when taking calls and asked to communicate with third parties.
Kind Regards,
Probado Support Team
