Mobile & Cell Phone Information

Prepaid Calling Cards and Terrorism: Where Did All The "Chatter" Go?


Does that necessarily mean that there are no terrorist communications happening, or does it simply mean that terrorists have found other effective ways to get their twisted plots across continents? The advent of prepaid calling cards and the proliferation of Voice over IP telephony have made mobile phones almost irrelevant.

In a case study, a prominent telecom company A discovered that several thousand dollars worth of phone time had been purchased using stolen credit cards. Despite extremely heavy security, this company still succumbed to the effective measures of people who were clearly bent on obtaining airtime. The subsequent tracking of IP's indicated that not only had the orders been placed using heavy IP masking, but that they originated from hacked computers and the traced ended in Lebanon. Careful analysis of the Call Records (CDR's) indicated that hundreds of phone calls had been made using the same prepaid account to a number of high threat countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, UAE, and a few European countries.

One of the more interesting points in investigating the originating phone numbers was that most of them were fake. With Internet technology, directing and redirecting calls from one IP to the next is as easy as looking it up on Google. Indeed, with VoIP you can easily have a local New York phone number literally anywhere in the world. The intent was to hide any and all trace of the conversations. The extent of this operation is unknown; however it is certain that companies that had lax security measures lost thousands of dollars. The chargeback's from the customers always hit the merchants. What is certain is that people are making phone calls to countries that harbor terrorists using stolen credit cards and high tech methods of masking the origin of their outgoing phone calls.

The FBI was duly notified and a subpoena issued for the CDR's. However it is not certain how much headway the FBI had into the case. Most telecom companies protect the identities of their clients and their CDR's be they peaceful citizens or hell bent terrorists. Unfortunately there is also no effective law that provides for timely gathering of much needed sensitive CDR's. Hence the answer to where has all the chatter gone can be answered using prepaid calling cards and VoIP protocols that have made it possible to completely mask phone conversations and take the chatter underground.

Gene Leshinsky EnkiTel Communications http://www.enkitel.com

EnkiTel Communications is a telecom marketing company specializing in prepaid dial around international phone plans. We are committed to the safe records of all of our customers and have excellent systems in place to prevent fraud.


MORE RESOURCES:

Target Mobile cell phone store launched
Mobile Burn
Today Target announced three new electronics services that it will begin offering, including Target Mobile, Target Electronics, and 1-877-myTGTech. ...

and more »


CNET (blog)

Ask Maggie: On buggy Android upgrades
CNET (blog)
I recently was looking for a new cell phone carrier, and while looking, something struck me as odd with T-Mobile's cell phone plans. ...

and more »


Bristol Township Police Reports - Sept. 2
Bucks Local News
T-Mobile cell phone taken from counter. Approximate value $300. -Copperbeach Lane, 8:20 am on Aug. 20. Unknown subjects broke a double- pane glass in the ...

and more »


How the Cloud, Mobile Devices Affect Application Strategy
Computerworld
Cloudy With a Likelihood of Mobile Cell phone vendors are on track to sell 1.4 billion devices this year, after selling more than 2.4 billion in 2008 and ...

and more »


MyFox Atlanta

Roswell School May Get Cell Phone Tower
MyFox Atlanta
About 200 people gathered at the meeting to address a possible T-Mobile cell phone tower at Mountain Park Elementary School. If the plan goes through and ...

and more »


Best Buy Doesn't See Tablets Replacing Netbooks
Forbes (blog)
Best Buy Mobile's cellphone focus means it typically partners with manufacturers and operators to sell service plans along with devices. ...

and more »


News Ticker: News Briefs
Loudoun Independent
Residents in a Sugarland neighborhood aren't happy that a T-Mobile cell phone tower is set to be built on the property of Christ Our Savior Church. ...



Free Online Coupon Website "Coupon Chuck" Helps Local Merchants Restaurants ...
PR Web (press release)
Nhan Nguyen will lead the Strategic Savings division with the launch of the coupon and mobile cell phone media website http://www.couponchuck.com. ...



U.S. v. VERDUGO
Leagle.com
Fernández and Betancourt were arrested, and a silver T-Mobile cell phone was seized from Fernández's person. The two men were then transported to the ...

and more »


Thieves' loot valued at almost $17000
Moultrie Observer
... two pairs of American Eagle flip flops, four hats, a Boost Mobile cell phone and five pairs of American Eagle socks between 8 am and 5 pm Monday. ...


Google News

home | site map
© 2006