VoIP Fraud Protection

VoIP Fraud Protection

Don't Dial A Disaster

Fraud Protection
You receive a fraud protection email from your bank or credit card company, telling you that it suspects that there has been an unauthorized use of your account. So call this number to ensure that your account is not misused by verifying your identity.

Would you call that number? You most probably will. That email has raised in your mind the horrific visions of a miscreant wiping off your total bank balance or running up an astronomical credit card bill. You are worried. You want to stop the damage from continuing as soon as you can. You reach for your phone and start dialing with a shaking hand.

But Hold - You Could Be Dialing A Disaster

What could happen if you call that number? The email you got may be a phishing (identity theft) VoIP scam to steal your identity and personal information for using it to get at your bank account or run up bills on your credit card.

The typical fraud scenario runs like this.

When you call that number you are connected with a phone response system which sounds exactly like your bank's or credit card company's phone system.

The person at the other end asks you to reveal your identity and personal and financial details to verify your account to ensure its security. But the number you are talking to may be a fake number posing as your bank or credit card company. Any confidential information revealed to this number could have disastrous results for you.

How Phising Scam Works On VoIP

Fraudsters use VoIP phone numbers to connect to a phone response system imitating the phone system of a financial institution. Such fraud is easy to carry out on VoIP phones because VoIP numbers are easy to obtain anonymously with fake personal information for signup.

If a scam is discovered, such numbers cannot be traced easily unlike the landline numbers which are usually given to a subscriber after a rigorous identity check by the landline telephone company.

Another form this fraud could take is that instead of an email you receive a phone call which seemingly comes from your bank and asks for your personal information. Don't respond to such a call or dial the number given by your caller.
Instead take the following steps to verify whether the email or phone call you got is genuine.

Safety Steps

If you feel concerned about the security of your account because you received an email or a phone call about it, take the following fraud protection steps:

Don't call the number sent by email or phone.

Use the phone number on the bank statement or the number on the back of your credit card to contact them. Your bank or credit card company would know if they did send such an email or called you.

What To Do If You Have Been Scammed?

If you find that you have been a victim of identity theft scam, there are certain things you should do to minimize the damage that could occur.

Inform Your Financial Institution Immediately
Sooner you do this, the lesser the damage that you may have to suffer. For on hearing from you, your bank/credit card company will be able to take measures to protect your account from being misused further.

File A Complaint
Other fraud protection measures that you should take is to register your complaint with the government anti-fraud agencies such Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) and FTC: National Resource for Identity Theft. Also visit OnGuard Online for information on how to register fraud complaints and for practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. Anti-Phishing Working Group is yet another source for filing fraud complaints and fraud protection information.