Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Dog Barking, Can't Fly Without Umbrella

Twice in the past month, I have placed calls to colleagues in Australia and had someone answer with a non-English-speaking accent who mumbles some unintelligible gibberish, puts the phone down, and then nothing except for a barking dog and a television in the background. Apparently this is a major hack of the mobile network. It's a recording that is cleverly timed to sound like someone really has answered the phone. Plus, it appears to have spread to the UK. If you think you've reached this rogue recording, don't say anything, just listen.

After scouring blogs and the news sources, it seems that this has not hit the blogosphere quite yet. If I find any updates on it will post.

Makes you want to check your minutes usage, eh?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/78000-thats-one-hack-of-a-phone-bill/2008/04/17/1208025382084.html

valerief said...

That type of phone hacking is actually coming out of different companies' phone system and going to other places, usually developing world. This particular scam seems to have taken advantage of various free services on the international mobile network. Interesting article tho. $78,000 is a big phone bill.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this! Incredibly it's now February 2010 and the EXACT SAME scam is still going on - undetected. (It's happened to me four times over the past few years)

Apparently they can keep billing, even after you hang up. Definately worth checking your phone bills!