Someone once said that rules were made to be broken. Scammers have taken it very literally, that is probably what they think before committing illicit acts. Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP, is a technology that allows users to make calls through the internet simply and cheaply.
Currently, VoIP is the dominant force in telecommunications due to its popularity and influence. There are many residences and businesses that have begun to use this system as an alternative to the partially obsolete traditional telephony, due to all its great benefits such as cost savings, reliability, scalability, flexibility and a wide range of features.
Why do scammers choose VoIP?
As always, popularity could be a double-edged sword: this technology has allowed users from different backgrounds to enjoy all the benefits and advantages that it brings. Because of that, however, it has become at the same time extremely attractive for scammers. In general terms, VoIP is a very secure communication form. Nevertheless, being completely dependent on the internet connection makes it very susceptible to being attacked by fraudsters.
Criminals take advantage of the accessible and convenient nature of VoIP to use it illicitly. For example, while a business could benefit from VoIP by the inexpensive large-scale calls in order to reach a larger number of customers, a scammer would do so for the same reason, except that the goal would be to obtain a financial profit while tricking its victims without involving great expenses for them.
It is simple for cybercriminals to easily set up VoIP systems and acquire all the necessary devices and hardware to make it work since they are very easy to obtain and quite affordable. Also, they can easily hide their tracks with minimal risk of detection.
Types of scams
Fraudsters use different techniques to achieve their goals. There is a wide range of scams, each one with a unique form, and they can even be combined. In a very superficial way, each one of them has the objective of obtaining sensitive data so they can steal the identity of the victim and obtain financial gain. These are some of the most specific and common scams that plague VoIP systems:
- SPAM OVER INTERNET TELEPHONY – also known as SPIT, it is a type of spam that involves VoIP telephony. Although spam is not a new threat, SPIT has become a widely used practice by criminals since the VoIP system allows them to make numerous calls at the same time. SPIT works the same way as traditional spam does, that is to say, it involves unsolicited telephone communications. SPIT is a little more difficult to combat than email spam, but it is not impossible.
- PYRAMID SCHEME – in this type of scam, fraudsters ask the user to pay a fee to join the VoIP provider’s network of resellers. At the same time, those users are required to recruit other people so that when they enter, they also must pay a fee. In this way, more people enter the pyramid but never get full access to the network. Thus, the scammers get the whole of the benefits from all the entry fees. Just like any pyramid scheme, it is too good to be true. Many VoIP providers are legitimate and trustful VoIP resellers, but authentic companies will not ask their new employees to pay for the privilege of working with them.
- PHISHING – this is a scam that employs social engineering to convince the victim that the scammer is calling from an authentic entity and trustworthy authority such as the bank. It aims, for example, to trick the victim into believing that the call is real and thus provide personal information such as their credit card number or a password. With regularity, the criminal plays with their victim’s emotion to make them take hasty actions. The problem with this type of scam is that the VoIP system makes the scammer appear legitimate since the information that the ID caller shows can be altered. Sometimes cybercriminals do not need to hack the victim’s account in order to gather the information.
- TOLL FRAUD – scammers artificially generate a high volume of international calls at the expense of someone else’s VoIP system. They can make calls through what is known as premium rate because in this way they take part in the revenue generated from these calls. Then, end-users often assume the responsibility for toll fraud. Criminals use VoIP with regularity since this is a service that makes it easy to make international calls.
What happens with VoIP services?
No service is completely safe. In fact, scammers have been using traditional telephony for ages to commit fraud. It was only a matter of time for scammers to start using VoIP, but it does not mean that netizens have to stop using this technology. For example, no one has stopped using the internet simply because of the risk of viruses. In order to protect themselves, users take preventive measures to be able to browse safely.
VoIP technology is an excellent tool that helps millions of users around the world, offering them a lot of benefits and a communicative advantage. VoIP services offer their users the possibility to obtain a Non-VoIP number which is not associated with a physical location. If the users live in Germany but want to obtain a phone number from France, they can do it by purchasing a Non-VoIP number since they can be associated with any location.
Operated by the Epsilon Technology LTD company, VerifyWtihSMS is a Non-VoIP number provider. They offer an SMS verification service that allows their customers to bypass the verification process in an extremely easy way with a real phone number from the USA from real SIM cards from the main carriers.
VerifyWithSMS is the perfect service because of its low prices, reliability, quality and for its known user-friendliness. This service takes care of the time and budget of all their clients. It offers a wide range of payment options and accommodates to the needs of each of its users.
Without a doubt this service is simple, fast and reliable. There are always two sides to the same coin, use Non-VoIP numbers in the right way to enjoy all its benefits. Sign up now and be on the good side!