JEDDAH, 16 June 2004 — The growing problem of hacking into the telecommunications system in the Kingdom is costing the Saudi Telecom Company and its customers dear.
Criminal gangs, largely made of illegal overstayers, have been using their technical know-how to pass international calls onto other people’s phone bills, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported.
The telecom company recently detected a number of locations in Makkah where illegal phone calls that are passed to other people’s bills were being made. The company alerted the police, who staked out the premises for two days before storming in and making arrests.
Seventeen people, mostly overstayers from Bangladesh and Myanmar, were apprehended in the operation. They had been using technology to hack into the STC system and land others with the bill for international calls.
The problem threatens the profit targets of STC, which may then pass on the cost to customers. The gangs are apparently using rented houses as bases for their operations, and the Passports Department has repeatedly urged Saudi citizens not to harbor overstayers. They have also requested cooperation in reporting signs of illegal activity to the police.
Real estate offices can also assist the Passports Department by not renting properties to overstayers, and many people stress that Saudi apartment owners should be held accountable for illegal activities taking place on their property.
