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I got this in an email and confirmed it on Snopes.com. It's an old press release so phone companies may have fixed this security hole but just in case...
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/jailcall.asp
AT&T Press Release, 6 August 1993
Hospitals fall prey to long-distance telephone fraud
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Is your switchboard an open door to thieves who will steal your long-distance service? AT&T warns that hospitals are increasingly targeted in slick scams that cost everyone money . . . In another ploy, a "Dr. X" makes a collect call to the hospital, and asks to be transferred to "Dr. Y." (Crooks can easily get the names of actual doctors who practice at specific hospitals.) He may ask to be transferred one or more times before asking to be transferred back to the receptionist, and he then asks for an outside line. Once he gets it, he may make un- limited calls. Again, the hospital is fully liable.
Con artists will always look for ways to steal long-distance service, but some simple steps can help save a hospital from fraudulent charges:
* Never accept a collect call from anyone identifying himself or herself as a phone-company employee.
* No one from a reputable telephone company would ever ask to charge calls to another number, for any reason.
* AT&T and other telephone companies do not ask their customers to help trap criminals or to help with line problems or any kind of maintenance procedure.
* Never accept third-party charges from, or provide an outside line to, an unknown person.
An administrator who suspects fraud should call the hospital's long-distance telephone company. AT&T can be reached at 1-800-CALL-ATT. Organizations and government agencies that can assist victims and provide other preventive tips include: the National Fraud Information Center, 1-800-876-7060; the Better Business Bureau; and the Federal Trade Commission, 202-326-2402.
Hospitals fall prey to long-distance telephone fraud
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Is your switchboard an open door to thieves who will steal your long-distance service? AT&T warns that hospitals are increasingly targeted in slick scams that cost everyone money . . . In another ploy, a "Dr. X" makes a collect call to the hospital, and asks to be transferred to "Dr. Y." (Crooks can easily get the names of actual doctors who practice at specific hospitals.) He may ask to be transferred one or more times before asking to be transferred back to the receptionist, and he then asks for an outside line. Once he gets it, he may make un- limited calls. Again, the hospital is fully liable.
Con artists will always look for ways to steal long-distance service, but some simple steps can help save a hospital from fraudulent charges:
* Never accept a collect call from anyone identifying himself or herself as a phone-company employee.
* No one from a reputable telephone company would ever ask to charge calls to another number, for any reason.
* AT&T and other telephone companies do not ask their customers to help trap criminals or to help with line problems or any kind of maintenance procedure.
* Never accept third-party charges from, or provide an outside line to, an unknown person.
An administrator who suspects fraud should call the hospital's long-distance telephone company. AT&T can be reached at 1-800-CALL-ATT. Organizations and government agencies that can assist victims and provide other preventive tips include: the National Fraud Information Center, 1-800-876-7060; the Better Business Bureau; and the Federal Trade Commission, 202-326-2402.
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