Al-Qaeda Linked to New York Phone Hacking ScamsChris Dougherty, Contributor Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said that the hacker grouphas a connection to Syracuse and it is currently under investigation by Federal and local law enforcement authorities; however, the groups members have not yet been apprehended. He went on to say that so far 26 New Yorkbusinesses have come forward to report thattheyvebeen victims of the phone hacking scams. One local business, Best Cleaners, received a $150k bill from their phone company for connecting over 9000overseas calls. The company is currently fighting a legal battle against the phone service provider to challenge the validity of those charges. Schumer said the Al-Qaeda hackers may be using the phone hacking scams to make large amounts of money, or simply to communicate using inconspicuous numbers. Either way, he says the situation needs more investigation. The hackers gain access to the phone numbers configuration through voicemail interfaces, typically due to the use of weak passwords. Once the accounts are breached the attackers can then set up call forwarding to international toll numbers under the hackers control. Voicemail users should take the following steps in order to keep their accounts safe from phone hacking scams: It is important to note that phone hacking scams like the one discussed in this article are not restricted to businesses located in New York. Several other cases have been reported by individuals and businesses in other U.S. and international locations. Schumer urges individuals and small businesses to pay special attention to their phone bills to look for fraudulent charges andactivity. Chris Doughertyis a grey hat hacker and online security expert. Please visit his blog,www.VirtualThreat.com, for more excellent news and information about protecting yourself in cyberspace. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 