Take Five to Prevent Telecoms Fraud

Telecoms fraud comes in all shapes and sizes and affects consumers in a number of ways. It’s no secret that telecoms fraud has become one of the most widespread and damaging problems facing people of today. The Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum are supporting a fraud prevention initiative being launched by FFA UK (Financial Fraud Action UK).  The "Take Five" campaign is to encourage people stop and think when any financial information is at stake! Part of the Take Five campaign launched in Waterloo Station this week to promote straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone in the UK protect themselves against preventable financial fraud.

An example of a current fraud scheme involves a twist on age-old classic; Phishing! Phishing has been a problem for years and refers to different types of online scams where the aim is to ‘phish’ for your personal and financial information (e.g., your passwords, bank account information, credit card numbers, or other personal information). Email messages claim to come from a legitimate source: a well-known software company, online payment service, bank, or other reputable institution with a seemingly genuine email address, logo or other trademark to fake authenticity. Phishing messages may also appear to be from a trusted friend or colleague.

Scammers of today have become increasingly (and worryingly) good at making the fake emails look genuine. For example the links do actually go to the legitimate site they are imitating. They generally use scare tactics about your account being compromised or needing updating and encourage you to call the number they have provided – normally a nice, inviting Freephone number. Some consumers feel satisfied the email is genuine and call the number. Phew, you are met with a series of options to connect to the right department and reach a genuine employee to discuss your account with. Perfect, no sign of fraud there then right?

Wrong! The number called isn’t exactly genuine. It will be routed through the fraudster’s phone line before being genuinely routed to your intended destination. As soon the call connects, it will be recorded so that once you reach a genuine employee of whom you believe you are calling, any account information you give is now being recorded by the fraudsters!

Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (TUFF) estimates that consumers suffer losses of between around ￡1.5 billion to ￡3 billion globally from becoming a victim of telecoms fraud. So, what should you look out for and what should you do if you receive a phishing message? Here are some helpful tips suggested by Action Fraud, who is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime. 

Be aware and pro-active: When responding to emails or phone calls, never give your login or personal details. If you receive an email from a company that claims to be legitimate but is requesting these details, or a contact number to call, use a contact number for the organisation that you have sourced reputably. Speak to them directly to confirm if the message is genuine.

Use your spam filter: If you detect a phishing email, mark the message as spam and delete it. This ensures that the message should not reach your inbox in future.

Know your source: Never respond to a message from an unknown source and take care not to click any links. Phishing emails are sent to a vast number of randomly generated addresses. However, clicking embedded links can provide verification of your active e-mail address. Once this occurs it may facilitate the targeting of further malicious emails. Even “unsubscribe” links can be malicious. Ensure that the e-mail is from a trusted source and you are, in fact, subscribed to the service.

Don’t be fooled! These are fraudulent communications that have nothing to do with the organisation they claim to be affiliated with. Replying, clicking the links provided or calling the numbers in these emails pose a serious security risk. So where you should report fraud if you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber-crime?

Action Fraud Police is the national policing lead for fraud. The service is run by the City of London Police working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) who are responsible for assessment of the reports and to ensure that your fraud reports reach the right place.

Telecoms World also work tirelessly with organisations such as TUFF and Action Fraud, which means we’re kept informed on the latest trends and developments in the area of fraud and fraud detection. We are then able to share this information with our business customers who in turn pass this knowledge onto their own customers. We also use their Business Reporting Tool to report any incidents of fraud no matter how big or insignificant it may seem. This is because the information is saved on a national database whereby any piece of information is important and could actually be linked to further cases. This helps Action Fraud, NFIB and any police bodies to recognise all forms of fraud being exploited to prevent and prosecute the fraudsters.

For further information on fraud prevention, look at www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

And, if you would like to discuss enhancing your phone security, call the team at Telecoms World on 0800 043 0800