Ip Relay Warning

It is really nice that you are creating a network with other fellow RO's and having a place to vent. Kudos to everyone on your message board, and I have read some of the interesting posts. That's really sad about the disturbing calls you have to relay most of the time. My heart goes out to you and other RO's.
 
Yes, this is a valid service and for those of us who only take calls from your TTY we do not have to put up with this as no scams or prank calls come through this way. It only goes to show how respectful the deaf community is and the fact that they don't abuse the service that is provided to them. If only that were true for all phone services. :lol:
 
ScamBuster... I wonder when did all this start since?
 
*chuckle* Let's hope there is ip-relay.com shut down. I like old-fasion way by dial 7-1-1. Only idiot couldn't buy TDD.
 
Deaf258 said:
I wonder if going total video relay would solve the problem or not?
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VRS won't be problem because it can be track unlike relay online, which more difficult to track the ip-address when someone are use wireless laptop by connect or tag by wi-fi or wireless routers.
 
Deaf258 said:
I wonder if going total video relay would solve the problem or not?
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Sure both TTY and VRS alone would solve this problem phone calls are traceable and VRS requires you to register for a account.
 
This is really outrageous and quite disappointing that there are such minds bent with a criminal intent by taking such service available in a wrong way, manipulating the service system with utterly disregards and disrespect!!
Understanding fully the scope of confidentiality laws, etc...one thing does come to mind is when a suspected criminal is harboring illegal activity, oftentimes, a court-order to allow law authorities to 'tap' a phone for credible evidence and acknowledgement of such illegal activities IS taking place. Therefore, if RO's cannot so as much speak or show one shred of evidence in light of what may be taking place illegally, then it may take an outsider to approach the police or proper authorities with information of such illegal abuse and manipulation of a service whereas the authorities can obtain legal access to 'tap' via Relay Services to be able to investigate further....I'm aware that there could be much debate and could very well be controversial regarding and stipulating any drastic measures to 'tap' the phone line(s)...Yet, it's an idea that has come to my attention and could be one sort of 'step' to quash this outrageous manipulation of a service intended solely for deaf/hoh users!!
 
It's about time !

MCI at www.ip-relay.com has blocked all calls from Africa, which has drastically reduced the scam calls coming in to just a few a day for each operator. This also means there is no longer a queue for you to make a call. I hope Sprint and AT&T follows suit and blocks them. This service is intended for YOU, not criminals!
 
WOW ..no wonder Ive been unable to reach any business by using IP ...even state agencies refuse to take my calls and Im on the computer all day long, due to work so it has become aggravating to be refused by agencies/businesses.

Thanks for letting us know - guess it is time for me to wipe off the dust on my TTY and use my state relay. :|
 
Wow, I'm sure they'll block IP addy from Africa's ISP providers.. they used "Deny List" on SOHO routers (high ends business router racks) I've seen many SOHO router rack system, it's pretty BIG spaceful server rooms.
 
Interesting.. I never call anybody and share my personal credits with. I really don't use IP relay for business or anything.. Just some family personal things.
 
Relay Abuse Continues

Mark Rejhon said:
Yes,

This is still going on.

Con artists target phone system for deaf
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4781806/

International Scam Artists Steal Big Money Through a New Telephone Service for the Deaf
http://www.citypaper.com/2004-04-14/feature.html
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YES, still going on. There are also some results at busting some of these criminals in Africa...
"...Working with a team of Nigerian national law-enforcement agents he trained last September, an FBI agent recently arrested 16 people on fraud and theft charges in Lagos, Nigeria. The team also seized or prevented delivery of more than $400,000 worth of merchandise stolen from U.S. businesses through credit card fraud, according to Dale Miskell, supervisory special agent in charge of the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center.

Miskell is the FBI's man in charge of the "419 scam," a series of frauds perpetrated mostly over the Internet but also on the phone, using the Internet Protocol relay system meant for the deaf, speech-impaired, and hard of hearing ("Out of Africa," April 14)..."

See all the articles concerning this scam bye clicking HERE
 
SCAMs

I have proposed registration where you have to enter your signon and password in order to make ip calls. This would help bring up the customer profiles and know where and how to make calls. Customer profiles is already in the works via TTY direct calls, so why not do the same for IP calls? And, in most cases you have to register to make VRS calls. So, it can be done. From what I was told, relay companies do not want to add an extra step. I guess this falls on FCC on making registration a mandate or not. There are ways to help prevent con artists from making IP calls.
 
Neverask said:
I have proposed registration where you have to enter your signon and password in order to make ip calls. This would help bring up the customer profiles and know where and how to make calls. Customer profiles is already in the works via TTY direct calls, so why not do the same for IP calls? And, in most cases you have to register to make VRS calls. So, it can be done. From what I was told, relay companies do not want to add an extra step. I guess this falls on FCC on making registration a mandate or not. There are ways to help prevent con artists from making IP calls.
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You do NOT need to register to make VRS calls. In fact, I would argue that it is more convenient NOT to have to register -- I just go to the website, put in the phone number, and dial! No need to memorize a login and password, wasting precious moments each time I need to make a call.

Case in point: SprintVRS, you can choose to login or just go and make a call. The login is for convenience of your personal preferences and options, i.e., your VCO number, frequently dialed numbers, and other personal information ready at a touch of a few buttons.

Logging in impacts your privacy. Hearing callers do not have a 3rd party listening in and identifying them unless they are actively wiretapped. Hearing people don't have to enter a login / password each time they want to call. Deaf people deserve the equal opportunity to enjoy privacy to make their phone calls without being identified by relay operators or interpreters.

Case in point -- I personally know several interpreters who work for different VRS providers. I have met several of their friends who know my face but probably don't know my name. If I call into VRS with my name, they will see my face, remember the name, and then possibly gossip my private conversation to those who may know me. Paranoid? No, it actually does happen in this kind of community, not all interpreters are totally professional and not all get fired for that breach of ethics.

You can give up privacy for convenience and/or security -- but I won't support anything less than leaving that choice up to each individual consumer.
 
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simple solution why dont anyone make phone that work between hearing and deaf such as change voice to text inside the phone just like vco but only with typing text change into voice may be difficult part. I know it may ruin relay operators' jobs however at least it should stop the spams and give deafies more private rights using phone communication without using relay.

I dislike relay because of privacy issues, I dont trust them at all only if IT necessary to call relay such as make call to work, make order for food only ask to pay cash or check in person once they delivery the food.
 
Shiva said:
simple solution why dont anyone make phone that work between hearing and deaf such as change voice to text inside the phone just like vco but only with typing text change into voice may be difficult part.
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*chuckle*

A little trivia for everyone: Did you know that IBM has been working on that for more than FORTY (yes, 40) years?!

"May be difficult part" is really an understatement. 6 billion people on earth. Hundreds of thousands of dialects. Accents. Voice coaching, speech therapy, and makes speech RECOGNICION nigh impossible in real time.

But, of course, Shiva was making a point that "text to voice" may be difficult, not "voice to text" which is nigh impossible. Actually, text to voice is possible, now, but it's still at the monotone, robotic stage. At least live humans voicing for you put some inflection into their voice.

The technology you want is still many years off. Do you want to wait until the "simple solution" comes out in a couple of decades, or are you content to use relay until the right stuff comes along?
 
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