IT&E warns of ‘spoof calls’

IT&E subscribers in the CNMI were greeted Monday morning with a big mystery of unknown numbers that have been calling their phones. Once answered, an automated voice speaking in Chinese delivers a recorded message. The first blast of calls started at about 12:30am up to 1:30am and a second blast from about 7am to 8am.

After receiving several reports, IT&E quickly advised its subscribers via text messaging and through their Facebook page not to answer or call the number with +1 (670) 783 prefixes where a recorded message in Chinese is attached.

IT&E further warned its subscribers to not give out personal and financial information to unknown callers, not to answer unexpected calls from unusual international numbers, and not to answer calls from blocked or calls labeled as “unknown.”

In a second statement released yesterday afternoon, IT&E identified the unknown numbers as “spoof calls,” when a third party falsifies the information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise their identity so that it appears as if the call is coming from a local number.

IT&E assured its subscribers that their system remains secure and no evidence of a breach or hacking has been detected. The company said this is the work of an unknown third party.

Nina Valenzuela of San Vicente said that she received the first call at about 1am. “I woke up and thought, ‘Who could be calling me at this time?’ so I didn’t mind it and went back to sleep. The first three numbers were 783. At 7am, my phone rang and I saw 783 and immediately thought it was the same person calling last night,” she said.

“I answered it because I have been expecting a call from the [Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.] about my COVID-19 test results. When I heard a lady speaking in Chinese on the other line, I thought it was a wrong number and since I could not understand her, I hung up the phone,” she added.

Others got engaged for a few seconds and when the voice started asking personal questions, that’s when they knew it was a scam call and hung up.

One comment on the IT&E Facebook page who translated part of the recorded message said it was trying to say “that they are from DHL and there is a package that needs to be signed.”

According to Michael (not his real name), an IT communications expert, call hacking is normally malicious or for monetary gain through a scam. “For the hacker to call all subscribers, they would have to first hack the IT&E main servers with all the accounts. That is scary as many of those accounts may have credit cards associated with them,” he said.

“The hacker would have had to have had a URL link, broken it or could’ve stolen or hacked someone’s password that had access to all account files. [There are] many different ways to get it if IT security is relaxed or vulnerable,” he added.

Dennis Guerrero of Garapan said that this is an added stress to an already difficult time. “We are now dealing with a pandemic, with a new case of COVID-19 on island. My family and I are on heightened care once again for our health and safety and now this robocall comes literally like a thief in the middle of the night and tries to get personal information from you through an important tool of our life—our cellphones.

“I really hope IT&E catches the bad guys and put an end to this. This is not something we can tolerate right now, especially during this pandemic,” he added.

So far, there were no reports of “spoof calls” among Docomo Pacific subscribers yesterday.

Spoof calls are not a usual occurrence in the CNMI, unlike Guam and in the U.S. mainland. A Guam resident said that spoof calls, scammers, and robocalls are almost a normal event in Guam such that the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense and the Mariana Regional Fusion Center work with local telecommunication companies in monitoring reports of local subscribers receiving calls from unusual or unexpected international numbers from time to time.

In the CNMI, IT&E encourages its subscribers to remain vigilant when answering calls from unsaved numbers and to refrain from giving personal information over the phone without verifying if the caller is legitimate.

To report suspicious activity, IT&E subscribers can call IT&E Customer Care Center at (670) 682-4483.