PHONE SYSTEM HACKING WARNING!

Hackers are gaining access to business telephone systems to initiate outbound calls usually to premium and long distance numbers. Known as ‘Phone Phreaking’, it is estimated to be costing UK businesses over £1b per year with an average cost to the bill payer of £10,000 per hacking incident.

Any business with a Phone System regardless of its size is at risk of phone hacking.

One of our new customers before coming to us had their phone system hacked with the hackers calling Albania throughout the night. Fortunately the company only had £150 in their SIP account, if they had an open account they could of been put in the position of having a bill for £10,000’s which they would be completely liable for. They have now transferred their account to us with the confidence that we can supply a service including fraud prevention.

Current legislation offers minimal protection against this type of criminal activity, when fraudulent calls are made they are placed over many different inter-exchange carriers; each carrier must pay that portion of the call handled by them regardless of the fraud. Ultimately it is the telephone bill payer that is liable for fraudulent call charges if their phone system is compromised.

Phone systems of any age make or model can be compromised, please do not assume that yours is secure. Call us today and let us assist you in ensuring your phone system is protected.

Telphone 02380 200680 Check us out on Trustpilot

Festival Goers At Risk

Average 18-35 year old will carry £368 worth of tech, with almost a third carrying products worth £500 plus

Almost five million 18-35 year olds are planning to book tickets to music festivals this year, carrying with them £1.8 billion worth of gadgets that are at risk of being stolen.

This is according to a survey by gadget insurer, which questioned 1,020 UK adults in this age bracket, with responses collected via CensusWide from May 25-27.

The average festival goer will carry £368 worth of gadgets, with almost a third (30 per cent) packing tech worth more than £500, and 10 per cent packing more than £750.

More than a third (36 per cent) who have been to a festival in the past three years have damaged (17 per cent), lost (16 per cent) or had a phone stolen (nine per cent).

Almost half (45 per cent) of revellers admit to having left their gadgets unattended in their tents, with 17 per cent leaving headphones, 12 per cent leaving mobiles and one in ten leaving tablets or laptops.

Keep gadgets safe

“Around five million 18-35 year olds plan to hit a festival this season, either on home soil or overseas and, for many, it’ll be the highlight of the summer. But when you’ve had a few ciders, you’re up to your knees in mud, and living in a tent for a weekend, the risk to your valuables is higher.

“Keep your smartphone safe by not leaving it unattended in a tent or a car, and don’t store it in your back pocket when you’re in a crowd. To avoid the queues for battery charge points, take a portable charger or a cheap back-up phone – just remember to share the number with your mates.”

Contact us now to protect your precious phone on 02380 200680

WHEN PHONES GO MOBILE!

Phones now do much more than just make calls. They have become an essential part of our daily lives.

They are computers in our pockets, but very often they are not in our pocket, we are walking and talking on them all the time, would you wander around flashing £500 in notes in your hand - probably not - but we just don't see it like that - theives do!

Phones are one of the most common things to have stolen. Phone thefts account for around half of all street crime according to the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit.

Thieves are opportunists and won’t hesitate to mug you for your mobile, wherever you are. Once the phone is in their hands they can be sold on, used to rack up huge costs to your bills or even worse be used to steal your personal data. There are things you can do to protect your phone and your data.

Phone thefts are common and they follow a pattern. The more you understand them the more you can protect yourself.

Protecting your phone

This is what you should do to protect your phone and help police recover it, if it gets stolen:

Lock it

It may seem obvious but make sure you activate your phone security lock code or PIN feature. You can do this in your phone settings. It will prevent any thief getting access to your telephone numbers, diary or social media accounts. It also means that the thief can't find out where you live.

Bar expensive calls

You can limit the usefulness of your phone to any thief by baring calls to international and premium rate phone numbers. You can usually do this in your phone settings.

Switch on tracker applications - every hardware manufacturer will offer this

Note your phone's details

Each phone has a unique identity number. You can find your IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number by typing * # 0 6 # into your keypad. This is one of the first things police can use to trace a phone's owner when they recover stolen property. Also make a note of your phone number, make, model, colour and appearance details. Keep all these details in a safe place. Register your phone for free on immobilise.com. This is a national database which the Police can access. It will help them identify you as the owner if your phone has been found or recovered from suspected criminals.

What if your phone has been stolen?

If your phone is stolen, report it to your network operator and the Police as soon as possible. It can then be cancelled quickly, in the same way as a stolen credit card.

It is worth checking the terms and conditions of your home or car insurance as you might be covered for theft or any calls that are made on your phone without your knowledge.

If you have a monthly mobile phone contract your network can send you a replacement SIM card.

Who pays for unauthorised calls?

You may be covered for the cost of fraudulent calls made by the thief between the time of you losing your phone and reporting it missing, as long as you report the phone missing within a certain time period – often 24 hours.

Fivebars Customers can have access to our fabulous Insurance cover. Call us to find our more about the all services we offer on 02380 200680