TelePassport, a communications solutions provider, has warned SA customers of least-cost routing (LCR) equipment to look out for thieves infiltrating their premises.
LCR gear recently received the green light when a court decision allowed companies to save considerably on call costs, but the advantages could be nullified when companies become fraud targets.
"Fraudsters use the name of the customer`s LCR provider and pose as technicians on a courtesy call or site visit to 'check the equipment`," says TelePassport MD Anton Potgieter.
"Once they have access to the company`s PABX room, they remove the SIM cards from the GSM routers."
Potgieter says the theft is often not discovered right away: "Often the customer`s PABX equipment will [when routing calls] automatically bypass the SIM-less routers, and the theft is only discovered when the provider does a service check.
"If the stolen SIMs are used immediately, and the provider only checks call usage instead of using actual equipment performance, it could take much longer to pick up the problem."
It`s starting
Potgieter reports that TelePassport customers have to date suffered at least two occurrences of SIM card theft. The thefts appear confined to the Cape Town area.
"Up until now only SIMs have vanished, which is not too bad as they can be remotely deactivated," he adds, "but the greater danger is that that the GSM routers themselves can be stolen, which at R3 000 each can be a costly loss. Many clients are not aware that the equipment is their responsibility while on site."
These thefts are not limited to TelePassport customers, says Potgieter. At least one other LCR provider has suffered losses and cautioned clients.
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