International Fraud Deterrent System Will Help Prevent “Robo-calling”

The International Fraud Deterrent System recently unveiled by the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) will help prevent telecoms fraud including the multi-billion dollar global problem of “robo-calling”.

That’s according to PBX over GSM provider Trabel (Pty) Ltd which believes that the GSMA’s latest anti-fraud initiative can, in particular, add another layer of protection to PBX systems running over different telecoms networks.

“When it comes to security, GSM is the undisputed gold standard for voice calls,” says Anton Potgieter, Managing Director of Trabel (Pty) Ltd, the Cape-based developers of NoPBX.

NoPBX is a secure GSM-based PBX solution that seamlessly transforms smartphones into a low cost, multifunctional switchboards.

For other PBXs running over far less secure VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) networks, it’s a different story. One estimate from a few years ago has 46% of fraudulent calls being made from VoIP phones.

GSM is impervious to many specific types of VoIP-related fraud including the ever-present toll fraud. The latter is best illustrated by the well-known case of a small business owner in the US who found that his VoIP PBX had been hacked to make $900 000 worth of calls to Somalia.

The problem is that VoIP uses convenient but breakable technology that was never intended for secure voice calls – but is nevertheless used for these as it saves money. VoIP calls can travel across diverse networks that open them up to cyber-attack.

NoPBX, a world-first developed in South Africa, is a GSM-based corporate switchboard that benefits from using a technological backbone designed from the ground up for encrypted, dedicated, secure voice communication. In addition, NoPBX is able to outclass the “brute force attack” cyber crooks because there is absolutely no app set-up needed – the NoPBX app uses your securely validated GSM cellphone number to identify you instead. Conversely, VoIP PBXs typically use usernames and passwords that can be cracked and hacked.

Unlike VoIP PBX solutions that require a fair degree of technical proficiency to set up, this GSM-based switchboard can easily be set up and managed by any existing smartphone user.  With NoPBX, complicated voice over data streams that are prone to both security and call quality issues make way for pure cellular simplicity controlled through a handset’s built-in phone dialer app. Its unique architecture allows for unparalleled security complemented by an innovative pricing model perfect for even single line businesses.