How would we prevent OS calls from using fake numbers? How do you determine on the fly they are fake?
You also seem to be saying there is a foolproof way to know the origin of calls "only allow Australian located or Australian linked " if that is so what does it matter if they are fake number or not?
The IP address. VOIP is via the internet, the call when it hits the SIP hardware has to have IP addresses to point to where it is going and where “to return” IP details like any communications over the internet just like when you access your bank account via the internet or the Woolies website.
The VOIP providers can be required before they allocate a number to a user to ensure that the user is Australian based or has an Australian linkage eg BHP may have a contact number that is Australian but routes to a UK base.
If someone fakes a number the IP will still show that the call originated from some locale and if outside Australia they can block it or they can mark it as non Australian/faked.
As I said currently there is no restriction on who uses Australian numbers so whether faked or not no action is taken. We happily sell the numbers to all and sundry at the moment so we don’t care about the faked ones.
Germany has the policy of requiring proof of residency or direct links eg a business connection. We don’t! Germany is not the only Country with this type of requirement but I’m most familiar with Germany’s rules on this.
One VOIP number provider of Australian numbers has this to say
" We provide real-world phone numbers directly connected to your VoIP phone (VoIP numbers are sometimes called virtual phone numbers). This means you can have Melbourne phone number allocated with your account, the number could be (03) 1234 5678. When this number is dialled from any other phone in Australia or over the world, your VoIP phone will ring and you will receive the call. A DID Number doesn’t need to reside in your location. Therefore, you may have a number that is outside your area, which means customers or family and friends can call you at local call rates if they are situated within the locality of your number. Customers can have multiple DID’s for different locations on an account.
Standard and Unlimited plans include one phone number (excluding International DID, 1300 or 1800). Please order a phone number from this page, once you have an account with us. There are no connection fees, monthly fees for the first number that are included in Standard and Unlimited plans. Any additional DID number costs $2.5 per month . You can buy an unlimited quantity of numbers per account (my bolding). Provisioning for a new number takes a few business hours, excluding numbers marked as Backorder . Backorder numbers are connected within 1-3 business days.
German Local Number requirements for VOIP and please note the 3rd point re address (this same German based detail is required for their Toll Free and National numbers)
" * Germany Local
*In case registration process is performed under a company name, German company registration certificate shall be provided instead of passport or ID copy. ** Only scanned documents are acceptable for German number registration."
Nothing is foolproof but the above steps if implemented go a very long way to limiting the problem. Money incoming to the Govt is the barrier to implementation.
Yes, Meltam !!
But this fed.gov. is not interested in helping us - unless ‘we’ are rich LNP supporters.
I just missed a call on my mobile and the caller did not leave a message.
It was from 03 8994 5190 so I called the number using the CND override code.
“The number you have called is not connected. Please check the number before calling again”.
I am really disappointed that I missed the call and the opportunity to advise the caller of what they should do, even if it is not physically possible.
I jusy had another call, this time from 03 8436 7589.
I answered it and got a robot with a female Asian voice claiming to be from Amazon Prime regarding renewing my subscription for some $79, and to press 1 to speak to someone.
I pressed 1 and an Asian male with poor English was connected, and he asked what he could do for me.
I had to tell him twice and then he started to get abusive and he disconnected the call.
He obviously should not be working in customer service but hopefully he is busy attempting to do as I suggested.
Needless to say, this number was also spoofed.
I have not had any more scam calls after my “chat” with the scammer the other day.
I suspect that my number has been placed on their Do Not Call Register.
Nope, they keep no such records. Whatever happens at a given call plays no part in whether they call again or how they treat you and they are accustomed to being abused verbally.
In last 24 hrs we have received 6 calls from different numbers on the landline that have a CID number the same area/local as ours but with differing last 4 digits. The first couple we picked up think it’s a neighbour to have caller hang up, then thinking this is suss we let them go to answering which they also hangup on.
Any ideas what the angle is here?
Caller line ID spoofing. If the caller just hangs up then they are not actually wanting to talk to you. Could be the call back scam trying to get you to call back and charge you for the premium service you called.
Just let them go to answering machine.
There has been a massive increase in the number of people seeking entertainment, shopping, gaming, and just communicating, online. That has increased the potential number of targets for scammers - when Covid began, it must have been like “heaven on a stick” to them. So many gullible people, unaware they were opening the door to unwanted intrusions.
For 2 months I was targetted by someone claiming to want to refund money for a service they could no longer maintain. I answered once, and blocked. Each time after that, they had a new number. Now, an unknown mobile number or overseas number is just going to ring out. If the caller leaves a msg identifying themselves, so I know who it is, I call back. Otherwise, block.
Talking to some of our elderly relatives (well, our vintage …) and they report that scammers will call them back several times. One said No, not interested and hung up. The man then called back and abused them. Others say they politely say No, have trouble politely terminating the call and get phoned back several times. Assume the cheat sheet suggests that these polite people can be railroaded into saying Yes.
That is sales technique basics. Getting from no to yes.
If you tell these sellers that you already have what they are selling, then you won’t hear from them again.
When I get a call on the land line, I quickly google it before answering (if I have the time). If it comes up with a spam score, I ignore it. But more recently the numbers are not in the set of legitimate numbers. The means you can’t leave a “spam” report on reverse-numbers & who-called-me type websites.
I get those calls which don’t connect with anyone; they hang up after a few seconds. Then I know we are now on a database of “people who are home at 2:10pm on a Tuesday” and expect more calls programmed for that time.
That might work for Aus callers - not for overseas. There, calls if calls are cheapest with a new SIM on each credit recharge, with a new number they just keep calling.
How great is the criminal opportunity and how big is the problem?
One opinion and estimate.
Through his research, Mr Phair has estimated there are 300,000 cases of cybercrime a year in Australia, costing the economy an estimated $42 billion.
Australia has been or is slow out of the blocks.
Possibly some further attention but not until late 2022, because it is impacting traditional banking. Whether this will
Perhaps removing the automated answering services and replacing them with a real person might be a good move.
Does anybody actually like them?
They are a source of frustration and irritation and a right pain in the derriere.
What makes it even more insidious, is that these machines are used by large corporations that have money to burn and could easily afford to install a human being in place of their machine.
BB
Management, accountants, and if it goes as planned, shareholders via a few mills higher dividends.
‘money to burn’ is called shareholder returns, often a higher priority for executive bonus hurdles than customer satisfaction.
If it were not so, automated voice messaging systems would have long ago been relegated to the margins.
Install ‘a human’? For a large company you would be talking about a room full of people simply answering the phone and transferring calls. Hardly a cost effective method of doing business.
How bad must it get before it cripples our digital way of living?
“We have seen alarming new tactics emerge which make scams incredibly difficult to detect. This includes everything from impersonating official phone numbers, email addresses and websites of legitimate organisations to scam texts that appear in the same conversation thread as genuine messages.
“This means now more than ever, anyone can fall victim to a scam.”
Anecdotally older Aussie’s grew up in world of posted communications. Our interactions were based on a willingness to trust. What came in the mail was not to be doubted. Readers Digest offers possibly an exception. Nearly every financial transaction was carried out face to face, or for those well off the cheque might be in the mail.
It’s suggested those of us who in adopting the way of the future were caught by the promise that the new way is better than the old. No one told us that in making it supposedly more convenient in our every day lives, it would also make it easier to loose it all. With the sophistication of the many scams now able to more readily outwit those also born into the digital age, will consumers of all ages share the same concerns? It’s beyond the average consumer to defend themselves against all threats!
If you mean the tech that is the vehicle for the scam is beyond most of us I agree. However the tech just provides the means in most cases and it takes a human to make a bad decision to make the scam happen. We can all defend ourselves by making more informed and careful decisions.
In general, adopt rule #1; If somebody asks for money say no. Even if it seems to be a close relative, even if it is a close relative, still say no automatically and give yourself time to think instead of react. You can always change your mind later if you start with no, if you start with yes then you are sunk if it’s a scam.
Investment scams rely on greed and ignorance. The punter imagines they will get a bargain, make a killing or that the risk is not too much. Why are you investing if you are ignorant? Why do you expect miracles if you are greedy? Why do you ignore the advice of every decent financier, that as returns go up, so does risk? Adopt rule#2; If it seems too good to be true it almost always is.
Rule #3; Don’t listen to people just because they approached you. We are often far too nice to cold callers or even warm callers who may have got your details from a well-meaning friend. You don’t have to listen to them just to be polite, say “no thanks” and hang up. If you want to give to charity or to invest for your future do your homework first on how best to do so under your circumstances and then approach suitable agents for carrying out your plan, checking their bona fides as you go.
These rules have been around for millennia, modern tech presents you with opportunities to make bad decisions faster, from far away and in a different guise but it still comes down to buying the Brooklyn Bridge because it is so cheap or helping an unworthy cause because they are pulling on heart strings and you have stopped thinking clearly.
