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A Guide to Preventing Toll Fraud
Telecom Business Review | Thursday, March 17, 2022
Toll fraud occurs when untrusted parties place calls through your PBX at your expense.
Fremont, CA: Nowadays, business voice mailboxes have been an easy target for hackers due to outmoded or unsupported Private branch exchanges. PBX is a private telephone network employed within an organization. Hackers acquire access and reroute business mailboxes to other countries, resulting in toll fraud and exuberantly high long-distance and international charges.
What Exactly Is Toll Fraud?
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Toll fraud arises when untrusted parties place calls using your PBX at your expense. This occurs overnight when offices are closed and calls are placed in bulk to different international destinations. Then, a large bill happens at the end of the month, which must be paid.
Because of the early ages of PBXs, free international calling has been the objective of phone hacks. One might consider that it's something of the past, with communication costs drastically decreasing; however, in the modern age of VoIP telephony, a global threat of organized crime has arisen to make big profits industrially.
Usually, a hacker compromises a PBX to establish calls to premium international numbers. Their drive is an indirect financial gain, as they will dial thousands of numbers in an automated manner from premium services under his control to get paid commissions per call or per time spent on the line. Another way to profit more directly is to resale stolen credentials on the Dark Web for whoever wants a cheap dial-out route. This is also called International Revenue Sharing Fraud (IRSF).
The 3CX Phone System has several built-in security features and default settings that prevent such abuses; still, administrators sometimes disable safeties without knowing the risks associated, which can cause problems.
Here are the common errors to avoid:
1. Poor passwords or PINs (i.e., 0000, 1111, 1212, 1234)
2. Unpatched, unsupported, or outdated PBX hardware and software
3. System settings not adequately configured
4. Measures YOU CAN TAKE TO avoid TOLL FRAUD
Although there are many ways to commit toll fraud, PBX hacking is certain.
Usingzing some of the following active means, you can protect your PBX and prevent toll fraud.
1. Use strong passwords
Even though it may look obvious, passwords are one of the best arms you can use in the battle against toll fraud. If you've elected a simple password that includes your name and other public information or kept the factory-set default password for your PBX, you're putting yourself at risk.
Mainly, always reset the default password on your PBX. When you create a new one, include a combination of lower- and upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters. You should also guarantee that your password is at least eight characters long. Do NOT use simple passwords/PINs for voicemail boxes.
Change your PBX's password whenever a worker who previously had access leaves your company.
2. Set up a firewall
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is generally used to create firewalls that support protecting VoIP phone systems from fraud. A SIP-based firewall, which examines both voice and data packets as they pass through your network, can be used as a filter for fraudulent calling.
3. Implement international calling restrictions
Several VoIP phone systems can be configured to limit international calling entirely or enable secured access. If your business makes gobs of international phone calls, consider increasing an extra layer of security, such as an authorization code that must be input before placing an international or long-distance call.
4. Review your call logs regularly
Another simple yet essential step in preventing toll fraud. Most VoIP phone system interfaces enable you to track incoming and outgoing calls; be sure to look at these on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Furthermore, any international call should be a red flag if your business is primarily domestic. Companies that do make several long-distance calls should be mindful of the countries where toll fraud most regularly occurs.
Taking these steps to avoid toll fraud could save your company from potential attacks and finally save you from paying an unwarranted phone bill. If you're worried your PBX may be at risk of attack, contact BIG today to secure your phone network.
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