Social Engineering has happened to each and every one of
us at some point in our lives. We even talk about it. "Jane is so gullible . . .
She’ll believe anything." A talented Social Engineer can convince us that the
world is still flat and a space ship is landing to take us all to Heaven. But Social
Engineering as applied to telephone fraud takes on a whole new meaning because it costs US
money!
A couple of tricks that consumers need to
be aware of are so simple that we fall for the stories, hook line and sinker. You might
get a call from someone whom:
Claims to be with "The
Phone Company" or "Your long distance carrier" calling to advise you that
lots of international calls have been made in the last few hours with your calling card.
The caller, just as likely a female as a male, will then ask you for the PIN associated
with your card. DON’T GIVE IT TO THEM. The caller is not
legitimate.
Claims to be a "Phone Company
Technician" who is running tests on the phone lines in your area. These
"technicians" are usually prisoners, in a local jail, who attempting to gain the
ability to dial internationally.
These callers depend on the extra service
that so many of us have at home…..Call Forwarding. The "technician" will
ask you to:
Dial 2 digits ~ Could be
any combination but usually 9+0 or 7+2, the most common set used to forward our phones.
Dial #
Hang up
If you have the call forwarding feature,
you've just provided dial tone for the thief and you will get the bill.
REMEMBER: There is nothing about your phone service
or calling card that your local phone company or your long distance service provider
doesn’t already have on file.
You will never have to provide the PIN
digit for a legitimate fraud prevention
analyst or other real employee. And you
don’t have to "help" the phone company test your lines!
If you get a call similar to these, hang
up and call your phone company business office or long distance customer service number to
report it.
Social Engineering has happened to each and every one of
us at some point in our lives. We even talk about it. "Jane is so gullible . . .
She’ll believe anything." A talented Social Engineer can convince us that the
world is still flat and a space ship is landing to take us all to Heaven. But Social
Engineering as applied to telephone fraud takes on a whole new meaning because it costs US
money!
REMEMBER: There is nothing about your phone service
or calling card that your local phone company or your long distance service provider
doesn’t already have on file.