Security with VoIP

I've started dabbling with VoIP. I've got a Sipgate Basic account (just got in under the wire with the free service !)

Last week I used the number for Lloyds Bank to ring me back on to confirm a payment. Worked fine, however seconds later I received a 'silent' call from a Guernsey registered mobile number. 07781 098 765

On investigation, (sticking the number into Google) it seems quite a number of people have received a call from this number seconds after a genuine bank verification call.

What's going on ? Are the others on VoIP too ? Are spammers taking a sniff of VoIP calls ?

Scammers just dial every number in a range, or your number may have been previously used and on a database that has been hacked.

Honestly had almost no scam calls on Sipgate and I have several numbers/accounts with them over many years. All mine are geographic numbers 020 or 01473 based to reflect home / work locations.

I used to get a ton on my mobile and scam texts, however been pretty good recently there too (presumably down to co-ordinated action by the mobile operators)

Are you using 056 or geo number?

In your ATA have you set it so only calls from Sipgate server get through?

I’m using a soft-phone on my mobile. Saying that however you should not have your setup to accept any direct calls or anonymous SIP calls unless you’re prepared for the security risk.

I get hardly any spam calls on my VOIP accounts where the last part of the number was allocated by a VOIP service provider. I get more spam calls on a VOIP number which was ported from BT.

From what I have read it is possible to hack a Voip Account: I don't know if there is hacking or not but from my personal experience regarding Voip Local Numbers there are definitely far fewer nuisance calls/spam calls with a Voip number.

Prior to my moving to Sipgate Voip Number I had a lot of nuisance calls on the old copper landline number which I decided not to port.

I then found that with the Sipgate Voip Local Number I have had zero nuisance calls.

I also have a Voipify Account with a local voip number and once again zero nuisance calls with that Local Voip Number.

Regards,
Fido

It's a geographic number, the same area code I live it. Had it a couple of months. It's not ported in from BT etc. This is the only spam call I've ever received.

I'm not surprised to receive a spam call, I realise they are just a result of randomly ringing numbers.

My concern (which no one seems to have picked up on) is the call arrived seconds after receiving a genuine call from Lloyds Bank, and reading up the matter, it seems exactly the same number has attempted to ring other people seconds after they have received a genuine bank call too ?

Edited by broadbandjockey (Fri 30-Sep-22 08:41:55)

In reply to a post by 1nitram2:

In your ATA have you set it so only calls from Sipgate server get through?

I don't know. It's a Grandstream VoIP phone. However, the number shows up in my Sipgate call log online, so presumably it arrived via Sipgate's server ?

In reply to a post by broadbandjockey:

It's a geographic number, the same area code I live it. Had it a couple of months. It's not ported in from BT etc. This is the only spam call I've ever received.

I'm not surprised to receive a spam call, I realise they are just a result of randomly ringing numbers.

My concern (which no one seems to have picked up on) is the call arrived seconds after receiving a genuine call from Lloyds Bank, and reading up the matter, it seems exactly the same number has attempted to ring other people seconds after they have received a genuine bank call too ?

Indeed so. Check out the reports for the number at Who Called Me?.