O2 users targeted by cold callers
July 26, 2008
O2 customers have been receiving phone calls from cold callers offering insurance against unauthorised calls which could be made by “Bluetooth hackers” - even though there is no evidence that this can be done.
New O2 subscribers have been targeted. The calls are from a withheld number and start with a welcome to O2 message. The customer is also greeted by name. The O2 customer is then warned about “bluejackers” and the caller fane’s surprise that the customer does not have insurance against the “bluejackers”. The customer is then told that they will be responsible for the cost of any phone calls made by “bluejackers” but the insurance will cover these costs.
“Bluejacking” is the term used to describe a technical trick which involves one Bluetooth device sending an unsolicited message to another. It would be impossible however, to use one Bluetooth device to make phone calls through another phone without the phone owner accepting an incoming connection.
O2 have said that the companies involved in such cold calling used “very sophisticated techniques” to convince customers they were genuine. O2 are unable to explain how the cold callers managed to obtain customers details.
Julian Prokaza, editor of Mobile Computer magazine, thinks mobile phone owners do not need to worry about unauthorised calls through Bluetooth. He said “I’m not aware of any way to take over a phone wirelessly without the owner’s knowledge”.
Thank you to The Guardian (Technology) for the above quotes.
See ww.o2.co.uk for more information on O2 and their services.
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