Introduction to VoIP fraud

[rpm]

Introduction to VoIP fraud

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services transmit telephone calls over high-speed internet connections rather than over traditional land-based telephone lines. They do not usually travel directly from a caller to a recipient’s computer but rather through computers belonging to several layers of intermediary VoIP service providers, or wholesalers.

 

[Maxson_N]

Lol that's a long a** article..

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

I specialise in SIP fraud advisory for telcos and enterprises (business and technical) and I have to say I've seen just about everything. There are millions of rands leaking out of the system from these thugs - in many cases being used to fund other international crime and terror

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

Lol that's a long a** article..

I agree. It is very comprehensive and researched. There a just a couple of key points in that article that represent 80% or more of the issues and revenue loss.

 

[ld13]

I love how they call arbitrage fraud.

 

[Hamish McPanji]

Meh...even large telcos have traded in grey routes since forever. When I was doing VoIP a few years ago, I dealt with telco companies doing thus to be able to be more competitive.

It is the dark underbelly of VoIP, and that is was so acceptable was quite shocking to me. They all knew it was illegal but didn't really care.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White,_black_and_grey_routes

 

[Wasabee!]

Meh...even large telcos have traded in grey routes since forever. When I was doing VoIP a few years ago, I dealt with telco companies doing thus to be able to be more competitive.

It is the dark underbelly of VoIP, and that is was so acceptable was quite shocking to me. They all knew it was illegal but didn't really care.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White,_black_and_grey_routes

I just read that article and it seems the whole grey/black routing is to overcome the monopoly of the destination where one terminates.

Sure it isn't ethical but it is legal at point of origin of the call. If the destination you are terminating to is run by a monopoly such as India thus defining your actions as grey or black routing then to me it seems as a measure to bypass this unethical business practise.

 

[Devo-sa]

Very convenient fear-inciting article, especially with the advent of WhatsApp and the whole R25 p/MB that Vodacrap wants to charge because their ridiculous call and data charges are now challenged.
Also, that red graphic...

Centralisation has always been the key to regulation (total control) and collusion (fraud or as some would call it "arbitrage").
The 'net is moving more and more towards decentralisation, like BitTorrent, BitCoin and those type of protocols now. So only the big, greedy businesses will try and keep it centralised to maximize profits (over-charging and monopolising), which will probably mean their downfall in the long run.

This huge and over-detailed article smacks a bit of desperation, so moving along - nothing to see here.

 

[qwertydudeza]

Very convenient fear-inciting article, especially with the advent of WhatsApp and the whole R25 p/MB that Vodacrap wants to charge because their ridiculous call and data charges are now challenged.
Also, that red graphic...

Centralisation has always been the key to regulation (total control) and collusion (fraud or as some would call it "arbitrage").
The 'net is moving more and more towards decentralisation, like BitTorrent, BitCoin and those type of protocols now. So only the big, greedy businesses will try and keep it centralised to maximize profits (over-charging and monopolising), which will probably mean their downfall in the long run.

This huge and over-detailed article smacks a bit of desperation, so moving along - nothing to see here.

You are obliviously clueless and have no idea about VoIP fraud. Did you read the article? This has nothing to do with Whatsapp

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

I just read that article and it seems the whole grey/black routing is to overcome the monopoly of the destination where one terminates.

Sure it isn't ethical but it is legal at point of origin of the call. If the destination you are terminating to is run by a monopoly such as India thus defining your actions as grey or black routing then to me it seems as a measure to bypass this unethical business practise.

There is a mixture of both. Each network has a monopoly on calls into its own subscriber base and so the larger networks can easily get drawn into monopolistic practices. If the local regulator is weak, then prices become extortionate. Under those circumstances, grey routing flourishes - and arguably it should, to open the market to real competition.

However, if termination rates are reasonable, access to termination is fair, open and equitable and the government charges a reasonable tax per call, then it is the grey route which offers an unfair advantage over the legitimate service providers.