SMARTER STRATEGIES

Smart Telephone to Recognize Phony Callers

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 11-02-10 | Comments

Scammers that rig caller ID to masquerade as a trusted caller are persuading even seasoned IT professionals to volunteer their usernames and passwords. Such phishing scams have recently jumped from the Internet to voice networks, but Georgia Tech (Atlanta) claims to have found a method of unmasking these phony callers.

Table of Contents:

Smart Telephone to Recognize Phony Callers
Voice phishing�telephone scammers who persuade users to volunteer private information�has become much more prevalent with the advent of cellular and voice over IP (VOIP) networks. Georgia Tech (Atlanta), however, claims to have invented a way to unmask fraudulent callers by creating a unique "noise signature" for all your trusted callers.

Internet phishing scams work in many different ways. Some construct phony Web pages that appear to be the real thing, persuading users to volunteer their username and password to cyber-criminals. Others solicit users with e-mailed or instant messaging pleas to confirm their vital information before their account is closed.

Today, call recipients cannot easily tell whether or not a caller is using the local public switched telephone network (PSTN), a domestic cellular connection or a remote voice over IP (VOIP) using an Internet gateway.

Social media, auction and online payment processors are already inundated with phishing scams where fraudulent IT administrators ask for "verification" of a user's profile. Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to identify a phony electronic communication or mock Web page. On the other hand, voice network scams can be uncovered, according to Georgia Tech scientists, who recently demonstrated a potent new weapon to use against voice phishing�noise signatures.

Today, residents of nearly any country in the world can easily set up a cheap long-distance telephone call using cellular and VOIP connections. With easy-to-obtain software and equipment, scammers can fake caller IDs to identify themselves as trusted sources. The scammer then asks you to identify yourself, when in fact they are phishing for your usernames, passwords and credit card numbers.

Next: The Key to Beating Voice Phishing Scams >>

Click here for "THINK" Leadership Forum Presentation Videos

IBM Resources

Videos

TWITTER FEED

22 minutes agoGood morning from Los Angeles! #ibmcloud
25 minutes agoThat's it from me! Over to North America.
31 minutes agoThe data processing of Roland Garros 2012 (#RG12) rests on IBM Private Cloud http://t.co/JUaY1ItM [French Press release]
about 2 hours agoIBM Accelerates Business from Supply to Demand with New #Cloud Offerings For Smarter Commerce http://t.co/OFxknOb0 [Press Release]
about 3 hours agoHow IBM #SmartCloud Foundation technology powers cloud adoption? IBM VP @SLHebner explains here http://t.co/sSzfa0O5 [VIDEO]
about 4 hours agoIBM's Fiona Cullen will present ‘The Power of #Cloud: Driving Business Model’ On May 24 @ Utrecht, Netherlands #cloudforum2012 #ibmcloud
about 5 hours agoBlog Post: Why service providers should not ignore cloud http://t.co/ZfQyue4r via @eMarcusNet #thoughtsoncloud
about 6 hours agoHave any #cloudmoment? Share your story with us via Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and tag it. See other stories http://t.co/J4ntsaQ5
about 7 hours agoSign up now for IBM #SmartCloud Enterprise! No charge for select VMs (only till May 28). More Details >> http://t.co/2LEzOUZC #ibmcloud
about 7 hours agoRT @HansMoen: See this video from @IBMCloud to learn how to cut costs in building innovation in your business http://t.co/XOyJoFn6 #clou ...