You may not be aware, but telephone fraud is on the rise. In the UK it is estimated that the figure is now over £250M a year with the average value of fraud per site being £15,000.
Dial through fraud is the most common cause of this. This can occur when a company uses a phone system that calls both internal and external contacts. Fraudsters tend to target these businesses when they are closed, for obvious reasons:
- Making premium rate calls to international numbers
- Listen to company calls
- Delete or steal sensitive data
Unfortunately it is the victim who is liable for the fraudulent transaction, which can cause severe financial harm.
The systems that seem to be most frequently targeted are IP, VOIP, SIP, ISDN2 and Hosted services. HOWEVER, there are a number of steps that can be taken in order to protect you from unexpected, unwanted bills:
- Restrict destinations that would not normally be dialled (e.g. premium rate/international).
- Set spend thresholds that can be proactively managed.
- Review available call logging and call reporting options.
- Regularly monitor for increased or suspect call traffic.
- Ensure that it is not possible to access voicemail systems from outside lines.
- Make sure that default settings are changed to secure pin numbers.
- Ensure interactive voice responses and auto attendant options for accessing outside lines are removed.
- Secure your exchange and communications system – If you don’t need the function, close it down.
Beckett Telecom can help you with this in many different ways.
To find out more call us on 0118 940 9000