Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Term Tuesdays - Telecom Fraud Explained: Known Fraudulent Numbers


Term Tuesdays - Telecom Fraud Explained

Today’s term is actually a type of Telecom Fraud, in this case it is when your PBX makes calls to Known Fraudulent Numbers or Destinations.

Calls to Known Fraudulent Numbers or Destinations
Telecom fraud is a well-known problem, and like the “Nigerian Bank Scam,” there are blacklists of phone numbers, area codes etc. that can be blocked or monitored if the right tools are at hand. To protect yourself you need to use various types of blacklists to prevent inappropriate calls being made. 

Humbug supports several types of Blacklists:
  • Community Blacklist - Protect your PBX from over 70,000 industry-confirmed blacklisted numbers
  • Number Blacklist - Setup your own list of blacklisted numbers
  • Country Blacklist - Receive alerts when traffic to/from specific countries you select are detected


Like PC based antivirus or malware protectors Telecom Fraud prevention needs to be regularly updated as new sources, destinations, and types are tried by the fraudsters.


It is a moving target and thus you need to be vigilant and use a solution that is constantly updated with these new attacks.