Sunday, March 2, 2014

If Your are Calling the FBI or Secret Service, ...

...don't get the phone number from a Google Maps listing.

Don't trust Google Maps, warns former map-jacker after he was ironically called a 'hero' by the feds he wiretapped.

The incident in question involves an individual posting their own phone number as a Secret Service field office phone number on Google Maps. When unsuspecting citizens utilize this incorrect third party phone number to contact the Secret Service the call is directed through the third party system and recorded. This is not a vulnerability or compromise of our phone system. Virtually any phone number that appears on a crowdsourcing platform could be manipulated in this way.

The Secret Service encourages the general public to visit their website at www.secretservice.gov to obtain accurate contact information for our field offices. (more) (video)