In an investigation I’m sure most of us didn’t know was ongoing, T-mobile, along with AT&T have been “been banned” from saying that their voicemail systems are safe and secure.
The investigation out of Los Angeles yielded an ability for undercover phone buyers to “spoof” voicemail systems and access voicemail messages and the information they contain.
“Investigators were able to hack into voicemail accounts using something called a SpoofCard. SpoofCard’s software lets people display any number they want on caller ID and has been used to access voicemail systems that do not require passwords such as those used by Cingular (now part of AT&T) and T-Mobile.”
As part of the settlement both AT&T and T-mobile were fined, $59,300 and $25,000 respectively. All companies involved in the settlement declined comment.
While I for one have always kept my voicemail password protected, my fear of voicemail hacking has never gone beyond that of a crazy ex-girlfriend getting into and listening to my messages. I never lended thought to the notion that this could be a serious practice done for absolutely malicious reasons. So I suppose the lesson here is, password protect your voicemail and stay away from prying eyes ears.
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