AT&T
takes steps to protect against collect-calling fraud
from overseas and
renews alert -
Voicemail Users Beware
BEDMINSTER, N.J., April 21 /PRNewswire/ --
AT&T said today it has begun implementing new advanced security measures to
protect consumers and businesses against fraud by hackers who compromise
inadequately protected voicemail systems to make collect, third-party or
direct-dial calls at customers' expense. At the same time, the company
renewed a warning it first issued last fall on users' need to safeguard
against hacking of voicemail boxes.
AT&T said it introduced a technological
solution to its automated voice-response platform in January to thwart
unauthorized calling from some areas of the world that generated the highest
incidence of fraudulent calling.
Now, some consumers or business people who receive AT&T international
collect calls may notice that instead of saying "yes" to accept an
international collect call, they may be asked to follow instructions as to
random codes they will need to speak or dial when prompted by an automated
operator. Such technological deterrents have proven very effective to date.
The solution defeats hackers' ability to
complete collect calls once they have hacked into a consumer or business
voicemail system and recorded a "yes, yes, yes" string to surreptitiously
accept a collect call, the company said.
But in urging vigilance against hacking,
AT&T warned that unless customers themselves check or otherwise listen to
their voicemail greetings, they may not realize they have been victimized
until they are notified by an acquaintance who heard their voicemail
greetings or their telephone company's security group, or receive a large
bill for international calls.
To avoid falling prey to this hacking
scam, AT&T recommends voicemail users do the following:
-- Always change the default password provided by the voicemail vendor;
-- Choose a complex voicemail password, of at least six digits, so it
would be difficult for a hacker to guess;
-- Don't use obvious passwords such as an address, birth date or phone
number;
-- Change your voicemail password often; and
-- Check your announcement regularly to ensure the greeting is indeed
yours.
In addition, owners of small businesses
should consider disabling the auto-attendant, call-forwarding and out-paging
capabilities of voicemail if these features are not used because those
features also can be hacked, the company said. Further, AT&T advises
customers to consult with their voicemail service providers on precautions
they can take to assure the security of their voicemail systems.
Telephone fraud losses amount to billions of dollars each year, according to
U.S. industry estimates. As communications become increasingly complex,
criminals develop innovative ways to defraud the unsuspecting public.
"At AT&T, we care about our customers and
work zealously to do what we can to protect them from unscrupulous con
artists," AT&T said. "Using sophisticated technology to detect and deter
fraud, we have ambitious programs to assist our customers in combating
fraud, often developing new technology for this purpose and offering
customer fraud awareness seminars.
"But a carrier's technological deterrents
alone can't do the job and, in the end, only customers can determine whether
calls from or through their voicemail boxes are being made legitimately,"
the company added.
"The ultimate defense is a vigilant consumer or small-business owner, which
is why we work hard to educate our customers on telephone fraud and alert
them to new scams," AT&T said. "For the same reason, because only customers
can safeguard and control the access to their systems, they are liable when
their systems have been compromised."
AT&T offers free on-site seminars and
information to AT&T Business customers who want to learn more about fraud
prevention and protecting themselves from being victims of
telecommunications fraud. Interested business customers should call
1-800-821-8235, prompt #2.
For additional information, AT&T's
residential customers can visit the AT&T Fraud Education website at
www.att.com/fraud. Business customers can visit
www.att.com/business_billing/fd_home.html .