Scammers Hit Deaf Relay System
Friday, 16 Feb 2007
AUSTIN — It’s meant to help deaf people communicate, but now, scammers are using an internet relay system to steal millions of dollars from unsuspecting businesses. And the worst part? Phone companies can’t even trace most calls because the law won’t let them.
Ed Bosson is deaf, and like millions of others, he uses an internet relay system to make and receive calls. Before relay systems, Ed “depended on my neighbors or relatives. Actually, many people had to depend on their own children to be their interpreters,” he said.
Increasingly, though, scammers are using relay services to steal from unsuspecting businesses. Businesses like Jason Lindsey’s in Round Rock.
“My first thought was, I’m going to help out the hearing impaired,” said Lindsey.
A caller, pretending to be deaf, ordered thousands of dollars worth of fire extinguishers using stolen credit cards.
“Well the first card failed,” said Lindsey. “And he gave me another card.”
Eventually, Lindsey became suspicious. The credit card companies said the cards were stolen.
Advocates for the deaf are furious.
“I’m really pissed off, and I don’t appreciate it!”, said Ann Horn, a deaf woman and local advocate for the deaf community. “How dare they make other hearing people think that they’re deaf people, and that they want to do that? That’s not true; it’s not fair.”
So why can’t phone companies just trace these calls? Because the law won’t let them. In most cases, state and federal privacy laws don’t allow operators to trace relay calls. They can’t even intervene — even if they suspect a scam is taking place.
Jason Lindsey recalled his conversation with the deaf relay operator.
“I said, ‘Are you recording this or can you tell me where this person is calling from in case this is a scam or something?'”, he said. “And they said, ‘No, we’re not allowed to record these conversations.'”
Ed Bosson runs the Texas deaf relay program. He says most scam calls come from overseas.
“Some of the places, like Nigeria and Ghana, where they set up — I mean, like, a crowd of — they’ll have computers just lined up,” Bosson said. “And have people in lines, looking up businesses, phone numbers, making calls through internet relay, pretending to be a deaf person.”
The FCC is considering rule changes. Bosson is on the national panel looking at those. He said, some phone companies now look at computer IP addresses for patterns. Others block international relay calls. Some also allow relay agents to intervene if five out of seven criteria are met.
Bosson has his own solution. He thinks relay users should have to register first, and prove they’re deaf.
“One time, you call to register. You give your name with a password, and then the provider will do some sort of verification process,” he said.
Horn said she would agree to a registration system, if it cuts down on scams.
“I don’t mind filling out a form,” she said. “I don’t mind registering and signing up with that company, so they know that I’m deaf.”
Newer technologies like video relay services also eliminate scams, because you can see the caller.
Sprint is the largest deaf relay provider in Texas. They issued a statement saying they’re taking “aggressive steps” to prevent scamming, but for security reasons, they can’t release details of them. AT&T also told us they screen relay calls as much as federal law allows.
You can report potential deaf relay scams to the FCC here.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
Link: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/myfox/pages/ContentDetail?contentId=2410046
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