14 DAY TRIAL // The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the world renowned telecoms company AT&T, accusing it of knowingly allowing Nigerian scammers and other fraudsters to place calls by using the IP Relay service and then billing the government for them.
WebProNews informs that the IP Relay service allows people with hearing and speech disabilities to communicate with others via phone using typed messages that are sent over the Internet. The US government reimburses companies which facilitate such services if the calls are placed from within the country’s territory.
However, according to the complaint filed by the DOJ, AT&T failed to implement proper policies which would ensure that the system is not abused by fraudsters.
Beginning with 2009, IP Relay providers were ordered by the FCC to verify the names and addresses of the individuals who were making the calls, but apparently not all telecoms companies complied.
The DOJ suspects that AT&T permitted fraudsters to continue placing calls only for the considerable reimbursements, which now add up to millions of dollars. It is also believed that around 95% of the calls that were made through the telecoms company’s systems were actually fraudulent calls.
WebProNews obtained a statement from AT&T which denies the accusations it’s presented with. Here is the company's statement: AT&T has followed the FCC’s rules for providing IP Relay services for disabled customers and for seeking reimbursement for those services.
As the FCC is aware, it is always possible for an individual to misuse IP Relay services, just as someone can misuse the postal system or an email account, but FCC rules require that we complete all calls by customers who identify themselves as disabled.
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