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Toll fraud is an overlooked security threat for many small and medium-sized businesses. We live in a world where unlimited pricing and flat monthly rates have caused us to forget that every phone call costs money. Most calls made by a small or medium-sized business cost mere pennies. But toll fraud can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
According to a study by the Communications Fraud Control Association, estimated total fraud losses for telecommunication services in 2013 were $43.3 billion. Of that, $4.73 billion was from toll fraud alone. One company in New York discovered it had accumulated $166,000 worth of charges for phone calls made over a single weekend—when no one was in the office.
So, if toll fraud is such a big problem, what exactly is it?
Phreakers gained a cult status over the years. Tech luminaries like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were phreakers. Maybe because the phone companies were the victims, this form of toll fraud is now viewed romantically. Other types of toll fraud, which targeted consumers, often tricked people into dialing a toll number that would charge their account for excessive fees.
Hackers can gain access to a company’s phone system through many of the same techniques they use to gain access to data networks. The most popular is the brute force attack. In this method, a hacker floods the server with attempts to register fake extensions. If passwords are weak, or easy-to-guess numbers are used to register extensions, a brute force attack can eventually find the right combination. Another technique is called vishing. In vishing, a user is tricked into providing security credentials over the phone or by opening a malicious email.
We don’t want to get bogged down in the details of hacking. The methods of attack are something that your IT department should know of, and any IP telephone system should be part of scheduled security audits. In the end, network security and monitoring are the keys to protection.
If you’re looking for high-quality IP voice service and want a provider that works hand in hand with you to ensure good outcome, from day one, contact us today. From SIP trunking to TCPA compliance, we’ve got you covered.