Security Of Your System: Preventing Toll Fraud - Lucent Technologies MERLIN LEGEND Release 6.1 Maintenance And Troubleshooting Manual

MERLIN LEGEND Communications System Release 6.1
Maintenance and Troubleshooting 555-661-140

Security of Your System: Preventing Toll Fraud

Security of Your System:
Preventing Toll Fraud
As a customer of a new telephone system, you should be aware that there is an
increasing problem of telephone toll fraud. Telephone toll fraud can occur in
many forms, despite the numerous efforts of telephone companies and
telephone equipment manufacturers to control it. Some individuals use
electronic devices to eliminate or falsify records of these calls. Others charge
calls to someone else's number by illegally using lost or stolen calling cards,
billing innocent parties, clipping on to someone else's line, or breaking into
someone else's telephone equipment physically or electronically. In certain
instances, unauthorized individuals make connections to the telephone network
through the use of the Remote Access features of your system.
The Remote Access features of your system, if you choose to use them, permit
off-premises callers to access the system from a remote telephone by using a
telephone number with or without a barrier code. The system returns an
acknowledgment signaling the user to key in his or her barrier code, which is
selected and programmed by the system manager. After the barrier code is
accepted, the system returns dial tone to the user. In Release 3.1 and later
systems, barrier codes are by default restricted from making outside calls. In
prior releases, if you do not program specific outward calling restrictions, the
user will be able to place any call normally dialed from a telephone associated
with the system. Such an off-premises network call is originated at, and will be
billed from, the system location.
The Remote Access feature, as designed, helps the customer, through proper
administration, to minimize the ability of unauthorized persons to gain access to
the private network. Most commonly, phone numbers and codes are
compromised when overheard in a public location, through theft of a wallet or
purse containing access information, or through carelessness (for example,
writing codes on a piece of paper and improperly discarding it). Additionally,
hackers may use a computer to dial an access code and then publish the
information to other hackers. Enormous charges can be run up quickly. It is the
customer's responsibility to take the appropriate steps to properly implement
the features, evaluate and administer the various restriction levels, protect
Issue 1
August 1998
Page A-11