Overseas crooks abuse phone service for deaf

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

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Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 03:21:04 -0400
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From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com>
Subject: Overseas crooks abuse phone service for deaf

Published: 04.09.2004

Overseas crooks abuse phone service for deaf

By Tim Steller
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Overseas scam artists have hijacked a telephone relay system for deaf
people and turned phone operators in Tucson and nationwide into
full-time facilitators of fraud.

Operators at Tucson's Communication Service for the Deaf call center
used to spend their shifts helping hearing- and speech-impaired
Americans make calls. But since January their workdays are dominated
by Internet calls from Nigeria and elsewhere.

The callers try to use stolen credit-card numbers to make big
purchases of merchandise from American companies. The operators often
suspect fraud, but they can't just hang up. Federal rules require
them to make the calls and keep the contents strictly confidential.

Merchants stand to lose big if they fall for the ruse - callers often
try to order more than $10,000 worth of expensive equipment. People
who legitimately use the service fear businesses will stop taking
their calls, thinking they are fraud artists.

...

http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/dailystar/17393.php

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