The National Communications Commission (NCC) has been working with mobile telecoms on an alert system for incoming calls from hidden numbers, as part of efforts to combat fraud.
Chunghwa Telecom has been testing the system with its mobile users since March 2.
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone are expected to fully roll out the system by May, NCC Acting Commissioner Chen Chung-shu (陳崇樹) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
As the National Police Agency found that mobile users are at higher risk of fraud, the NCC is to roll out the system for landlines in June as well, he said.
The new system would play an alert in Chinese and Taiwanese warning that the incoming call is from a hidden number. Users can press any key to skip the warning.
Data showed that the number of fraud cases have been trending downward since the trial began, Chen said, adding that telecoms terminated 40,000 calls.
The system has been particularly effective among elderly people and has helped younger users, who often answer calls quickly, without checking the number, he added.
Lawmakers expressed concerns about a case where a man allegedly broke into an older residential building and stole more than 1,000 landline phone numbers. The numbers were allegedly given to Chinese scam groups, which used them to create Line accounts for scams, profiting by more than NT$1 million (US$31,297).
Chen said that newer residential buildings typically have better controls in place, with telecom equipment locked away.
However, the NCC would convene meetings with telecoms to review and improve safeguards, he said, adding that they would talk to Line about improving landline user verification mechanisms.
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