Telecoms firm finds a way to cut off the phone fraudsters
Feb 26 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal
However Gateshead-based Executel believes it may have developed a system which goes some way to solving the problem and forcing the phone fraudsters out of business.
The firm has created a new tool which can monitor and analyse a company’s call traffic 24 hours a day and can be programmed to detect signs of fraudulent activity such as premium-rate numbers, international calls, or calls made outside office hours. When telephone hacking is suspected, the system will alert the business via text or email and lock the telephone network if action is required.
Managing director Tim Price said the problem is now industry-wide and has been accelerated by the worsening state of the national economy.
He said: “It is unfortunately on the increase as the economic downturn worsens and fraudsters seek to penetrate communications systems at the expense of others.
“In these unprecedented times, businesses have a collective responsibility to be extra vigilant and ensure that they put sufficient measures in place to safeguard communications equipment against both internal and external attack and we are therefore providing them with the means to do so.
“Telephone fraud threatens all businesses and while traditional call logging systems can help, these solutions tend to be simply reactive.
Det Insp Phil Butler, of Northumbria Police Economic Crime Unit and director of the Hadrian Project – a partnership set up to tackle emerging crime trends – said businesses should meticulously analyse their phone bills to stop leaking money at the hands of criminals.
He said: “Businesses should monitor closely the use of their internal telephone systems. The critical times are out of working hours when companies should be particularly vigilant and should check their phone bills. It’s worth constantly analysing phone bills.”
Although Executel is a Mitel reseller, the technology can also be programmed to work with almost all telephone systems including Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Siemens, Toshiba and Samsung.
