HELLO & WELCOME

[adssolsn]

hi guys, in any business, there's bound to be a fraudster or a con. as i browsing around the web realized its possible to get conned on line by a fake VoIP provider; it's therefore wise to be alert. so i am asking you guys, what do you look out for when choosing a genuine VoIP provider?

[pwarbi]

As VOIP becomes more and more popular, there's bound to be new providers appearing, all trying to cash in. The ways to avoid the scams, is the same way you'd avoid any other, in other areas, read reviews of customers, always try and go with a company that's well established, and also if a service you get offered sounds to good to be true, remember that it probably is.

[WillLin]

The majority of decent telecoms providers are happy to take a call and discuss issues. Perhaps trial out their technical support line by giving it a call - if you're quickly fobbed off, or they can't answer a few "technical" type questions about their service then you've probably found someone you need to avoid.

Try using questions like: What ports (if any) do I have to have open on my firewall / router? Can I port my number into the solution, if so how long will it take and what's the process?

I'd also recommend looking at the website carefully. There are a number of items that any decent business will abide by:

- The service provider's name (not the trading name) needs to be prominent and accessible.
- The service provider's email address has to be given, contact forms are not sufficient.
- The service provider's geographic address must be given (PO Box are not allowed). The registered office address and registration number must be included.
- VAT registered companies must display their number.

Lastly, as mentioned by adssolsn in the previous post, search for the company on any popular search engine. Perhaps use the phrase [Company Name] fraud or similar - it usually brings complaints to the top of your search results!

[Jason76]

If your in the USA, you could always try the Better Business Bureau or Trading Standards in the UK. Finally, you could check out some legitimate websites which expose scam websites. If all else fails, then contact the police.