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Vishing – VoIP Scams On The Rise
David Utter
Staff Writer
2006-07-18
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We have a new buzzword to remember as criminals use Voice over Internet Protocol to scam people by telephone out of credit card numbers and other information.
 | | Vishing - VoIP Scams On The Rise |  |
A cold call from someone claiming to represent your bank or credit card issuer may sound legitimate, but may be an insidious trick instead. The BBC has rounded up several examples and said these VoIP crimes would continue to rise.
Some email scams use the email as the enticement to call, and a phone number to complete the theft. Many people who have come to treat email with skepticism may be disarmed by being asked to call a phone number. It gives an appearance of legitimacy.
When calling the number, an automated program answers. People have become conditioned to punch buttons when prompted to by an IVR, and assume the phone system must belong to the financial institution being spoofed in the scam.
Bye bye personal data. Now, the report noted that one scam that has been uncovered dispenses with email entirely, and relies on the telephone to perpetrate the crime. Antivirus firm Secure Computing discovered one plot last week that tries to accomplish this.
All it takes is a VoIP program, another program to autodial a bunch of phone numbers, and a convincing vocal manner to pull off this con. Unfortunately, the scamsters have figured this out already.
Secure Computing did provide some tips on evading this type of scam, first noting that these calls do not refer to the person being called by first and last name. Not being referred to by name may indicate the call is a fake. When contacting a financial institution, use the phone number provided on the back of a credit card or statement to do so.
We will suggest another tip. Tech-savvy people should let their non tech-savvy family and friends know that these type of scams exist, and advise them to use the phone numbers on their cards or statements. A legitimate firm will understand the extra caution being used.
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Tag: Vishing
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About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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