The cost of fraud to companies is £billions every year and at Southern Communications Corporate Solutions take all possible precautions to protect our customers from PBX fraud.
Fraudsters have become ever more advanced in their techniques we know we must never become complacent and take that extra step to protect our customers.
Customers of Southern Communications Corporate Solutions automatically benefit from VoiceSafe, an additional layer of protection for your business, should be become a victim of fraudulent calls.
Networks charge for these calls and the cost is passed onto end users. VoiceSafe enables customers to reclaim the cost of calls incurred through fraud – up to £10,000, before you pay the bill – so you are not left out of pocket.
With increasing regularity fraudsters dial into business telephone systems and make calls to high value destinations, leaving the businesses to pick up the bill, with calls being made out of hours or during weekends and bank holidays.
Protect your systems
If you would like any further advice on how you can protect yourself from Fraud or would like to sign up for VoiceSafe – Contact us today
Tips for protecting your business:-
- Remove or de-activate all unnecessary system functionality including remote access ports. If you must have the latter, protect them with strong authentication techniques
- Restrict the numbers that employees can dial: for example, bar calls to premium rate numbers, international numbers, these types of numbers are commonly used by fraudsters once your system is compromised.
- Review your PBX call logging/reporting records regularly to spot any increases in call volumes or calls to suspicious destinations at odd times of day.
- Bar voicemail ports for outgoing access to trunks if you can. Change your voicemail and DISA (Direct Inward System Access) passwords regularly and don’t use the factory defaults or obvious combinations such as 1234 or the extension number.
- If access to trunks via voicemail is vital, then introduce suitable controls. Remove Auto Attendant options for accessing trunks too.
- Lock any surplus mailboxes until you have a user for them.
- Restrict access to your core comms equipment, such as your comms room or master terminals.
- Change your security features – passwords, PINs etc – and re-set the password defaults whenever you install, upgrade, repair or maintain equipment.
- Treat all internal directories, call logging reports or audit logs as confidential. Destroy them securely when they’re no longer needed.
- Avoid using tones to prompt for password/PIN entry: hackers find it easy to duplicate them.
- Implement formal processes to cover employee entry procedures, the issuing of passcards and the vetting of new employees and when people change jobs or leave. For the latter, remember to revoke any access they might have had to your systems, mailboxes or buildings.
- Review your system security and configuration settings regularly. Follow up any vulnerabilities or irregularities promptly.
- Be vigilant against bogus callers: people who pose as a company employee and ask to be connected to a switchboard operator to get an outgoing line.
Register for VoiceSafe and be covered up to £10,000
