Calls to International countries are expensive and International fraud can lead to hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in unanticipated costs in a short period of time.  These costs are the customer’s responsibility.  Enabling the International Call Block feature protects your account from unwanted charges by preventing 011 type calls to countries outside North America.   To block or unblock International calls, visit ArmstrongOneWire.com and log in to your account today.  

• Visit ArmstrongOneWire.com
• Select Manage Telephone under My Account
• After logging in select Other Features under the Calling Features menu
• At the bottom of the page, check International under Block Billable Calls.  Note: you can also block Directory Assistance calls.
• Finally, click Save Changes.

  It’s that easy!  And best of all, you are in control.  If you need to make an International call in the future, simply deactivate the feature, place your call then re-activate the feature.   If International calling is not blocked on my account, am I at risk?  Businesses should be particularly concerned as they are most often the target.  The most common types of fraud involve telephone systems setup to allow remote access to long distance and International calling, voicemail systems with outbound call capability enabled, unauthorized access to call forward and transfer through a compromised voicemail system and an unsuspecting employee granting access to an outside line.   Taking the appropriate precautions now will prevent the cost and hassle of dealing with a problem later:  

• Change your phone system factory default passwords and often, every 60-120 days is recommended.
• Block International calling, or if needed, your system may allow you to block certain country and city code combinations or require access codes.  Ask your phone system supplier for details.
• Educate your employees to report suspicious calls requesting transfers or passwords.  Have them redirect those calls to the phone system administrator or other knowledgeable individual.
• Be sure that former employees do not have access to the phone system.  Either block their service access or change the password settings on the phone system.
• Be sure your voicemail call forward functionality has not been activated.  If it has, turn it off and change your passwords.
• Consider having a phone system security audit done by an independent third party to identify potential vulnerabilities.
• Review your bills each month.  Does the call detail show normal calling patterns?  If not, be sure to contact your phone system administrator and Armstrong.