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mostlysignssomeportents · 10 months ago

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How I got scammed

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/05/cyber-dunning-kruger/#swiss-cheese-security

I wuz robbed.

More specifically, I was tricked by a phone-phisher pretending to be from my bank, and he convinced me to hand over my credit-card number, then did $8,000+ worth of fraud with it before I figured out what happened. And then he tried to do it again, a week later!

Here's what happened. Over the Christmas holiday, I traveled to New Orleans. The day we landed, I hit a Chase ATM in the French Quarter for some cash, but the machine declined the transaction. Later in the day, we passed a little credit-union's ATM and I used that one instead (I bank with a one-branch credit union and generally there's no fee to use another CU's ATM).

A couple days later, I got a call from my credit union. It was a weekend, during the holiday, and the guy who called was obviously working for my little CU's after-hours fraud contractor. I'd dealt with these folks before – they service a ton of little credit unions, and generally the call quality isn't great and the staff will often make mistakes like mispronouncing my credit union's name.

That's what happened here – the guy was on a terrible VOIP line and I had to ask him to readjust his mic before I could even understand him. He mispronounced my bank's name and then asked if I'd attempted to spend $1,000 at an Apple Store in NYC that day. No, I said, and groaned inwardly. What a pain in the ass. Obviously, I'd had my ATM card skimmed – either at the Chase ATM (maybe that was why the transaction failed), or at the other credit union's ATM (it had been a very cheap looking system).

I told the guy to block my card and we started going through the tedious business of running through recent transactions, verifying my identity, and so on. It dragged on and on. These were my last hours in New Orleans, and I'd left my family at home and gone out to see some of the pre-Mardi Gras krewe celebrations and get a muffalata, and I could tell that I was going to run out of time before I finished talking to this guy.

"Look," I said, "you've got all my details, you've frozen the card. I gotta go home and meet my family and head to the airport. I'll call you back on the after-hours number once I'm through security, all right?"

He was frustrated, but that was his problem. I hung up, got my sandwich, went to the airport, and we checked in. It was total chaos: an Alaska Air 737 Max had just lost its door-plug in mid-air and every Max in every airline's fleet had been grounded, so the check in was crammed with people trying to rebook. We got through to the gate and I sat down to call the CU's after-hours line. The person on the other end told me that she could only handle lost and stolen cards, not fraud, and given that I'd already frozen the card, I should just drop by the branch on Monday to get a new card.

We flew home, and later the next day, I logged into my account and made a list of all the fraudulent transactions and printed them out, and on Monday morning, I drove to the bank to deal with all the paperwork. The folks at the CU were even more pissed than I was. The fraud that run up to more than $8,000, and if Visa refused to take it out of the merchants where the card had been used, my little credit union would have to eat the loss.

I agreed and commiserated. I also pointed out that their outsource, after-hours fraud center bore some blame here: I'd canceled the card on Saturday but most of the fraud had taken place on Sunday. Something had gone wrong.

One cool thing about banking at a tiny credit-union is that you end up talking to people who have actual authority, responsibility and agency. It turned out the the woman who was processing my fraud paperwork was a VP, and she decided to look into it. A few minutes later she came back and told me that the fraud center had no record of having called me on Saturday.

"That was the fraudster," she said.

Oh, shit. I frantically rewound my conversation, trying to figure out if this could possibly be true. I hadn't given him anything apart from some very anodyne info, like what city I live in (which is in my Wikipedia entry), my date of birth (ditto), and the last four digits of my card.

Wait a sec.

He hadn't asked for the last four digits. He'd asked for the last seven digits. At the time, I'd found that very frustrating, but now – "The first nine digits are the same for every card you issue, right?" I asked the VP.

I'd given him my entire card number.

Goddammit.

The thing is, I know a lot about fraud. I'm writing an entire series of novels about this kind of scam:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

And most summers, I go to Defcon, and I always go to the "social engineering" competitions where an audience listens as a hacker in a soundproof booth cold-calls merchants (with the owner's permission) and tries to con whoever answers the phone into giving up important information.

But I'd been conned.

Now look, I knew I could be conned. I'd been conned before, 13 years ago, by a Twitter worm that successfully phished out of my password via DM:

https://locusmag.com/2010/05/cory-doctorow-persistence-pays-parasites/

That scam had required a miracle of timing. It started the day before, when I'd reset my phone to factory defaults and reinstalled all my apps. That same day, I'd published two big online features that a lot of people were talking about. The next morning, we were late getting out of the house, so by the time my wife and I dropped the kid at daycare and went to the coffee shop, it had a long line. Rather than wait in line with me, my wife sat down to read a newspaper, and so I pulled out my phone and found a Twitter DM from a friend asking "is this you?" with a URL.

Assuming this was something to do with those articles I'd published the day before, I clicked the link and got prompted for my Twitter login again. This had been happening all day because I'd done that mobile reinstall the day before and all my stored passwords had been wiped. I entered it but the page timed out. By that time, the coffees were ready. We sat and chatted for a bit, then went our own ways.

I was on my way to the office when I checked my phone again. I had a whole string of DMs from other friends. Each one read "is this you?" and had a URL.

Oh, shit, I'd been phished.

If I hadn't reinstalled my mobile OS the day before. If I hadn't published a pair of big articles the day before. If we hadn't been late getting out the door. If we had been a little more late getting out the door (so that I'd have seen the multiple DMs, which would have tipped me off).

There's a name for this in security circles: "Swiss-cheese security." Imagine multiple slices of Swiss cheese all stacked up, the holes in one slice blocked by the slice below it. All the slices move around and every now and again, a hole opens up that goes all the way through the stack. Zap!

The fraudster who tricked me out of my credit card number had Swiss cheese security on his side. Yes, he spoofed my bank's caller ID, but that wouldn't have been enough to fool me if I hadn't been on vacation, having just used a pair of dodgy ATMs, in a hurry and distracted. If the 737 Max disaster hadn't happened that day and I'd had more time at the gate, I'd have called my bank back. If my bank didn't use a slightly crappy outsource/out-of-hours fraud center that I'd already had sub-par experiences with. If, if, if.

The next Friday night, at 5:30PM, the fraudster called me back, pretending to be the bank's after-hours center. He told me my card had been compromised again. But: I hadn't removed my card from my wallet since I'd had it replaced. Also, it was half an hour after the bank closed for the long weekend, a very fraud-friendly time. And when I told him I'd call him back and asked for the after-hours fraud number, he got very threatening and warned me that because I'd now been notified about the fraud that any losses the bank suffered after I hung up the phone without completing the fraud protocol would be billed to me. I hung up on him. He called me back immediately. I hung up on him again and put my phone into do-not-disturb.

The following Tuesday, I called my bank and spoke to their head of risk-management. I went through everything I'd figured out about the fraudsters, and she told me that credit unions across America were being hit by this scam, by fraudsters who somehow knew CU customers' phone numbers and names, and which CU they banked at. This was key: my phone number is a reasonably well-kept secret. You can get it by spending money with Equifax or another nonconsensual doxing giant, but you can't just google it or get it at any of the free services. The fact that the fraudsters knew where I banked, knew my name, and had my phone number had really caused me to let down my guard.

The risk management person and I talked about how the credit union could mitigate this attack: for example, by better-training the after-hours card-loss staff to be on the alert for calls from people who had been contacted about supposed card fraud. We also went through the confusing phone-menu that had funneled me to the wrong department when I called in, and worked through alternate wording for the menu system that would be clearer (this is the best part about banking with a small CU – you can talk directly to the responsible person and have a productive discussion!). I even convinced her to buy a ticket to next summer's Defcon to attend the social engineering competitions.

There's a leak somewhere in the CU systems' supply chain. Maybe it's Zelle, or the small number of corresponding banks that CUs rely on for SWIFT transaction forwarding. Maybe it's even those after-hours fraud/card-loss centers. But all across the USA, CU customers are getting calls with spoofed caller IDs from fraudsters who know their registered phone numbers and where they bank.

I've been mulling this over for most of a month now, and one thing has really been eating at me: the way that AI is going to make this kind of problem much worse.

Not because AI is going to commit fraud, though.

One of the truest things I know about AI is: "we're nowhere near a place where bots can steal your job, we're certainly at the point where your boss can be suckered into firing you and replacing you with a bot that fails at doing your job":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/15/passive-income-brainworms/#four-hour-work-week

I trusted this fraudster specifically because I knew that the outsource, out-of-hours contractors my bank uses have crummy headsets, don't know how to pronounce my bank's name, and have long-ass, tedious, and pointless standardized questionnaires they run through when taking fraud reports. All of this created cover for the fraudster, whose plausibility was enhanced by the rough edges in his pitch - they didn't raise red flags.

As this kind of fraud reporting and fraud contacting is increasingly outsourced to AI, bank customers will be conditioned to dealing with semi-automated systems that make stupid mistakes, force you to repeat yourself, ask you questions they should already know the answers to, and so on. In other words, AI will groom bank customers to be phishing victims.

This is a mistake the finance sector keeps making. 15 years ago, Ben Laurie excoriated the UK banks for their "Verified By Visa" system, which validated credit card transactions by taking users to a third party site and requiring them to re-enter parts of their password there:

https://web.archive.org/web/20090331094020/http://www.links.org/?p=591

This is exactly how a phishing attack works. As Laurie pointed out, this was the banks training their customers to be phished.

I came close to getting phished again today, as it happens. I got back from Berlin on Friday and my suitcase was damaged in transit. I've been dealing with the airline, which means I've really been dealing with their third-party, outsource luggage-damage service. They have a terrible website, their emails are incoherent, and they officiously demand the same information over and over again.

This morning, I got a scam email asking me for more information to complete my damaged luggage claim. It was a terrible email, from a noreply@ email address, and it was vague, officious, and dishearteningly bureaucratic. For just a moment, my finger hovered over the phishing link, and then I looked a little closer.

On any other day, it wouldn't have had a chance. Today – right after I had my luggage wrecked, while I'm still jetlagged, and after days of dealing with my airline's terrible outsource partner – it almost worked.

So much fraud is a Swiss-cheese attack, and while companies can't close all the holes, they can stop creating new ones.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to post about it whenever I get scammed. I find the inner workings of scams to be fascinating, and it's also important to remind people that everyone is vulnerable sometimes, and scammers are willing to try endless variations until an attack lands at just the right place, at just the right time, in just the right way. If you think you can't get scammed, that makes you especially vulnerable:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #social engineering #phishing #ai #swiss cheese security #infosec #finance #fraud #carding

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ralfmaximus · 11 months ago

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I've got one coworker who calls me occasionally without any warning whatsoever. Everyone else hits me up in work chat first: hey are you busy? got a sec? can I call?

But not this guy. Also, he uses his personal cell phone, and due to whatever wacky VOIP cellular service he uses, it's never the same number twice, and his caller ID is literally "wireless caller".

This guy is THE ONLY REASON I ever answer my phone, even if the caller ID screams spam. Because if I don't talk to him, something at work that's on fire will get worse, making everyone else's life a little worse.

So I answer his calls, and he never introduces himself or gives context for the call. He's already six words into his stream of consciousness explanation of what the problem is and what I need to do to help him fix it. It's always very arcane, very technical.

"Screen SA-011 is throwing a validation error, and it has something to do with the foobar field. I think the combo box on that screen has lost its list of validations, so if you could--"

It's like being thrown into an ice cold river. I forget to breathe, listening to him monologue endlessly, trying to simultaneously parse what he's saying while also rewinding the conversation in my memory back to the beginning so I can maybe figure out the context for the call. I sometimes jot key phrases on a scrap of paper while he talks.

Eventually he stops. Now it's my turn. I get to reply, to tell him what he needs to know to fix his problem, and (weirdly) nine times out of ten I can. There's a part of me that wakes up and knows, even if my conscious brain has no fucking clue. Often it's a memory from eight years ago when we first wrote that module, and it's just enough to trigger an additional cascade of important memories on his side.

"Yeah," I hear myself reply, "that's the UD1015 table, and you'll need to reload that from backup. There are too many values in there to enter manually."

He thanks me and hangs up. The whole interaction lasted less than four minutes and I won't hear from him again this year.

Now what the fuck was I doing?

#me #work

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clarepreed · 2 years ago

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Septic

Short Story Summary and Content: 4,337 words, female victim in septic shock, resuscitation in a moving vehicle.

“We should have gone to urgent care before we came out here. Or even a couple of days ago when you first started feeling bad.” Jackson reached over and ran his hand across his wife’s shoulders, then reached up to rub the back of her head. When they’d gotten up, he thought she’d looked ashen and tired, but she’d insisted on coming on the hike.

He was worried about her for the entire hike, noticing how she lagged behind. Eventually he’d told her the two of them should turn around, worried about her haggard and gray appearance. “You don’t look okay.”

“My side hurts,” she said, pressing her hand to her ribcage before wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. “I’m probably coming down with something.”

“Are you cold?” He was surprised; the day was warm, and she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

“Yeah, I—” She caught her foot on a root and nearly fell, then couldn’t seem to keep her feet; he grabbed her and held her upright, alarmed when her eyes started to flutter.

“Woah… why don’t we stop for a minute?” He eased her down onto the trail and helped her put her head between her knees. “I’m sorry you don’t feel well, sweetie. I could carry you on my back the rest of the way so you don’t have to walk.”

“No,” Maria muttered, pulling her head up from between her knees. Despite the chill of her skin, she was sweating. Baby hairs clung to the sweat springing out along her hair line. “How much farther?”

“Five minutes,” Jackson said, rubbing her back. “We just passed the sign where the trail splits.”

He watched her face as she digested that information. She seemed resigned, or edging into listlessness.

“Maybe I should drive you to the hospital.”

“No,” she muttered, shaking her head. “I just need a bed.”

She reached out to him to help her up, and he hauled her up off the ground, keeping a firm hold on her. She was breathing fast, her eyes briefly closing when he got her on her feet.

“Ugh.” She opened her eyes and they shuffled down the trail together.

“Maybe the internet will be back up and you can spend the rest of the day watching Netflix,” he said. There’d been a thunderstorm the day before and the rental cabin had lost power for a few hours. The internet hadn’t come back at all. None of the group had cell service out there, and the landline was VoIP, so they were effectively cut off. “To think we spent extra to get this place because it had internet…”

She didn’t respond, her gaze directed toward the ground as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

When they got back to the cabin, he helped her with her boots and then bundled her up in bed. She immediately curled into a ball, hands clutching at her ribcage.

“Why does your side hurt so much, sweetie?” He leaned over her, hands hovering, afraid to touch her and cause her more pain.

“Maybe…” She trailed off and closed her eyes. “Don’t know. Don’t worry. I’m gonna sleep.”

He let her rest, though he checked on her periodically as the morning passed. He didn’t like the gray undertones of her skin, or the way she’d so easily slipped into sleep.

Their friends would be back for lunch soon, and he could ask Carter his opinion. Carter was a landscaper, but his mom was a retired ER nurse and his dad had been a paramedic for over a decade before he changed careers. They’d made sure he grew up competent and calm in emergencies. He’d even saved a classmate’s life his senior year of high school by performing the Heimlich on a choking underclassman.

The next time he checked on Maria, she looked worse. Her lips were white, and she was shivering, her eyes closed. Somehow, she looked smaller in the bed.

“Maria?” Jackson asked, his voice loud in an attempt to cut through her sleep. “Can you drink some water?”

She moaned, but didn’t open her eyes. Then she said: “Don’t want coffee.”

“Water, sweetie. Or tea?”

She didn’t respond to that. She seemed to go limp, still aside from her rapid panting. Jackson sat on the edge of the bed and grasped her arms. “Maria?”

He heard the front door open, his friends spilling into the cabin, energized by their hike. Jackson leaned over, kissed Maria on the temple. She felt cold. He got up and went looking for Carter.

He found Carter in the kitchen, raking a hand through his sweaty hair before shoving the ball cap back on his head.

“Hey,” Jackson said, his voice low and urgent. “Do you mind coming to check on Maria with me? I want your opinion. I think I’m going to have to drive her into town.”

“Yeah, sure,” Carter said, looking concerned. “She feels pretty bad?”

“She’s out of it,” Jackson said. “And in pain.”

He led Carter into the bedroom. Maria was still curled on her side, and he could hear her rapid panting from the door.

“I don’t like how she’s breathing,” Carter said, sitting down in the edge of the bed. “Maria?”

“I don’t, either.”

“Maria?” Carter called again. He grasped her shoulder and shook her. She made a weak noise but didn’t open her eyes.

He watched Carter press his fingers into her neck to take her pulse. A minute or so later, Carter reached down and shook her shoulder again. “Maria!”

“What do you think?”

“Her heart’s beating really fast,” Carter said. He looked down at Maria for a few more seconds and then seemed to make a decision. When he looked up at Jackson his expression was determined. “We need to take her to the hospital. Now. I don’t think she’s okay at all.”

Jackson felt his concern begin to edge into fear. He tamped it down, and asked: “How far out is the hospital?”

“Forty minutes. Can you carry her outside?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay. Give me like two minutes.” Carter stood up and hurried out of the room and called out to his girlfriend. “Hey, babe, I need you to drive us to the hospital.”

Jackson leaned over and uncovered her, pushing the sheets and blankets to the side. She stirred, and he cupped her cheek. “We’re going to take you to the hospital, sweetie. You’re going to be okay. Just hang on a bit longer for me, okay?”

Her eyes cracked open to slits. He listened to her pant for a few seconds. She opened her eyes wider and said, sounding surprised: “I’m dying.”

Jackson felt like she’d dunked him in ice water, and rushed to reassure her. “Don’t be silly, sweetie. We’re taking you to the ER now. You’re going to be okay.”

“Sorry,” she wheezed, and closed her eyes. She didn’t speak again, and the next time she breathed it came as a gasp. The next gasp was several long seconds later.

“Maria. Maria? Maria! Maria!” He shook her hard by the shoulders, but she didn’t rouse.

Cursing, Jackson slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. He lifted her limp body off the mattress and felt her head sag back, neck hyper-extending over his arm.

Carter met him in the hall. “Come on.”

“She’s worse,” Jackson said, jogging behind Carter. He was learning what the phrase “heart in your throat” truly meant. “She just… she told me she was dying and then I think she passed out.”

They hurried outside.

“Gemma’s driving,” Carter said. “I want to be back there with the two of you. Khalil’s gonna ride shotgun and as soon as he has service, he’s calling 9-1-1. I grabbed the AED and first aid kit out of the kitchen just in case.”

Carter’s Rubicon was backed up as close to the cabin as they could get, the rear doors open and the back seats folded down. They’d spread out a blanket to cover the floor.

Carter climbed into the back and reached for Maria, taking her upper half from Jackson. She was completely limp as they lifted her into the Jeep and laid her flat on the floor. Khalil closed up the back and climbed into the front passenger seat, and then they were gone.

“Maria. Maria!” Jackson kneeled beside her and smoothed the hair back from her face. She looked terrible. Skin gray, body limp.

“Gemma! Uh… Look, drive as fast as you can. Safely. She’s not doing well at all.” Carter rested his hand on her stomach, then her chest, then leaned over her, his hands moving up to tip her head back. He held his ear over her mouth and moved his hand back to her chest, listening and feeling for breath.

“She stopped breathing!” he exclaimed, his head popping up. He blinked down at her for a few seconds, looking nonplussed, before springing into action. Jackson watched him pinch her nose shut, take a deep breath, and seal his mouth over hers. Exhaling into her, they both watched her chest rise.

“What?” Jackson asked, staring down at his wife. “What…? I don’t understand, she was just sick!”

“I’ll go as fast as I can!” Gemma shouted. “Stay with us, Maria!”

“Maria! God! Maria, you have to breathe!” Jackson ran his hand down her arm, unsure what to do. She was completely limp; he could feel her unnatural slackness under his hand.

Jackson watched as Carter gave her another breath, then rose up on his knees, hands clasping together. He pressed the heel of his hand between her breasts, rocked his shoulders forward, and then forced her sternum down two inches. He came back up and then thrust his hands back into her again.

“One, two, three…” Her head rocked as he gave her chest compressions, feet swaying. Jackson heard a strange, quiet sound coming out of her, like air was being forced out and the contents of her stomach were churning. Her belly bulged with each thrust. He felt frozen, watching his friend crush his wife’s chest over and over again.

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!” Carter leaned over and gave her two more quick breaths. “Jackson! JACKSON! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! …three, four, five, six, seven…”

Jackson made himself speak. “What do I do? Oh my God…”

“Look in the bag for a CPR mask! Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…”

Jackson grabbed the small bag, his shaking hands jerking at the zipper until it opened and the contents spilled out.

“…twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…”

He found a red plastic case and popped it open. There was a mask inside, collapsed in on itself. He popped his thumbs into the underside and the mask opened up, valve extending. He leaned over Maria and gently cupped her head, slipping the elastic over her hair and fitting the mask over her nose and mouth.

He didn’t wait to be asked. He tipped her head back like he’d seen Carter do, and inhaled before wrapping his lips around the valve. When he exhaled, her chest swelled. It sank when he broke the seal, then expanded again with the second breath.

“One, two, three…” Carter was compressing her chest again, the force traveling down to her toes and up out of her mouth. The Rubicon suddenly jerked and dropped down into a hole before popping out again. Maria’s lifeless, graying body flopped with the movement.

“Sorry, gravel’s uneven here!” Gemma shouted.

“Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty! Breathe!”

Jackson forced two more breaths into her, and Carter started chest compressions again. They could hear her sternum and ribcage crackling and popping under his hands, but Maria was senseless to it.

“…three, four, five, six…”

“Please don’t do this, Maria,” Jackson whispered. Then he startled, remembering what Carter had said about the AED. He pivoted around until he found the red case and dragged it next to Maria’s body. He unzipped it, turned everything right side up.

“…twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight—there should be scissors! Thirty, I’ll breathe!” Carter leaned over her and gave her a breath.

Jackson found the shears and snipped the top of her shirt, briefly dropping the scissors so he could rip her top all the way down to the bottom hem. Carter gave her another breath as Jackson snipped the bottom hem of her shirt and between the cups of her bra. The fabric parted as her chest fell. There was a bruise forming between her breasts, harsh against her tawny skin.

Carter pressed his hands down into the bruise. “Turn it on! Get the pads! Work around me! Three, four, five…”

Her breasts wobbled with each thrust, Carter’s fingers digging into her soft flesh. With her shirt cut open, Jackson could see the way her belly rippled with each compression. He grabbed the pads and leaned over the AED, pressing the “power” button to turn it on.

The pads were labeled, and he was able to peel off the backing and press the first pad to Maria’s upper left chest. The Rubicon suddenly slowed, then made a harsh turn. He braced himself with a hand on the front passenger seat. Carter managed to continue compressions, though he called out: “Warn us before you do that, we’re about to use the defibrillator back here! Thirty!”

“Apply the pads and plug in the connector!” the AED commanded.

Carter breathed for her, and Jackson pressed the second pad near her right breast, his thumb grazing her soft skin. Carter gave her another breath and then started another round of compressions.

“One, two, three, four—”

“Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

Carter stopped compressions, and both men leaned back.

“Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

“How far out are we?” Carter asked, breathing hard.

“More than a half hour,” they heard Khalil say, subdued.

“Shock advised, charging. Do not touch patient.”

“Make sure you aren’t touching her,” Carter warned.

Jackson double checked, scooting his body back from hers by a half an inch.

The AED made a loud noise and the large button in the center started flashing. “Stand clear. Press the shock button.”

“I’m clear,” Carter said.

Jackson reached out and pressed the button. Maria’s torso convulsed slightly, and he saw her arms twitch.

“Shock delivered. Analyzing rhythm.”

Jackson kept his eyes on her ribcage, willing it to rise on its own.

“Shock advised. Charging. Do not touch patient.”

He already hated that sound coming out of the AED.

“Stand clear. Do not touch patient. Press the shock button.”

“Clear!” Jackson called out, checking to be sure they weren’t touching her before he pressed the button.

“Shock delivered. Resume CPR for two minutes.”

Carter restarted his forceful compressions. “One, two, three, four, five…”

Jackson couldn’t help but stare. Her neck was hyper-extended, throat exposed, mouth hidden by the CPR mask. She was still making that quiet noise that was halfway between a huff and a gulp each time Carter forced her sternum down and let it come back up. Her shoulders twitched and her breasts swayed rhythmically. Her belly rolled in a shallow wave that crashed against the waistband of her pants.

Jackson reached out and unbuttoned her pants, unzipping them and pulling the fly open, hoping that would help in some way.

“Thirty!”

He leaned over, tipped her head back, and forced his air into her. She accepted it without resistance or movement aside from the artificial inflation of her chest.

He gave her a second breath, and then Carter resumed compressions.

Jackson continued his review of her body. The rippling of her stomach was unimpeded now, her abdomen distending, collapsing, and then bulging again. Her legs were rocking with each thrust. He could see her painted toenails in the sunlight streaming into the cargo area of the Rubicon.

“…twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four— After this cycle, after the AED, we need to switch. Thirty!”

Jackson rested his hand on her naked chest as he breathed into her, felt her breasts rise, then the disconcerting fall. He leaned back, cleared his throat.

“I can do that,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“One, two, three, four…”

“Khalil!” Jackson called to the front. “Do you have a signal?!”

“…nine, ten, eleven, twelve….”

“Not yet. It should come back when we go under the interstate. That’s when I lost it on the way here.”

“…twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Jackson gave her another two breaths. He hovered over her when he was finished, his hand smoothing her forehead and caressing her cheek. He’d stayed as calm as possible so far, but it was starting to sink in, really sink in, that Maria was right. She was dying.

Carter must have been thinking similarly, because his chest compressions seemed to get more forceful, and Jackson could hear his breath coming hard and fast.

“…eighteen, nineteen, twenty… shit!” Carter faltered, his eyes wide, hands slowing.

“What? What is it?!”

Carter shook his head and picked up the pace. “I’m sorry, I think I’m hurting her. Thirty!”

Jackson felt a little lightheaded as he breathed into her, watched her chest rise and fall. “You’re doing what you have to,” he gasped.

“…two, three, four, five, six…”

Her skin was mottled, and her lips were turning blue under the mask. Jackson could see what looked like a rash up her side, the skin discolored and swollen. He assumed that had something to do with the pain she’d been in, but he wasn’t sure what it meant.

“…twenty, twenty-one—”

“Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

Carter leaned back, breathing hard. He shook out his arms.

“Analyzing rhythm, do not touch patient.”

“Shock advised. Charging.” That terrible sound again. “Stand clear. Press the shock button.”

“Bump!” Gemma called out, and the men braced themselves. Maria’s head fell to the side. Her eyes had come halfway open, and they seemed to stare through Jackson as the road evened out again.

Carter was clear, so Jackson pressed the flashing button, causing Maria’s body to twitch.

“Shock delivered. Analyzing rhythm.”

Please, please, please, please...

“Shock advised. Charging.”

This time, please Maria…

“Stand clear. Press the shock button.” Jackson pressed the button again and watched her jerk.

“Shock delivered. Resume CPR for two minutes.”

“Damn,” he heard Carter mutter.

Jackson interlocked his fingers, seated his hands between her breasts, and rocked his shoulders over his hands the way Carter had done. He pushed down, hard, and flinched.

Carter saw him grimace. “You’re doing it right. Go ahead and count.”

“Two, three, four, five…” Now he was looking down at her from a slightly different angle. Her head was still rolled to the side, saving him from the judgment of her glassy eyes. He watched the way the force of his hands displaced her body; her breasts quivering, ribs depressing, stomach rolling. If she lived, he wondered how long it would take her to recover. Or how much she would recover. “…twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

His voice cracked, and he watched Carter turn her head up and reopen her airway. He didn’t remove his hands, but he released all pressure, letting Carter’s breaths shift his clasped hands on her breastbone. Then he leaned back into her, hard.

“One, two, three…” He needed to compartmentalize. His mind felt like it could shatter, and there were tears gathering in his eyes. His sinuses grew congested and his throat tightened.

“I’ve got service!” Khalil exclaimed. “I’m calling 9-1-1 now!”

“…twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!” He forced his interlocked hands between her breasts each time he counted, watching as her head bobbed.

“Yes, my friend was sick and she stopped breathing! Her husband and my other friend are doing CPR and using an AED now!

“One, two, three, four, five…”

“Yes, that’s him counting compressions. Uh, my name? I’m—”

“…twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…”

“No, we’re driving.”

Jackson heard Khalil explain where they were and where they were headed.

“…twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Carter bent over and forced two more breaths into Jackson’s wife. She remained unresponsive.

“One, two, three…”

“Four shocks so far,” he heard Khalil say. Then he said: “The operator wants us to pull over. She says the movement of the vehicle will interfere with the operation of the AED, and that it’s very dangerous for Maria and the both of you.”

“…twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

“Jackson? Carter? Do I pull over?” Gemma asked. She sounded like she’d been crying, and he had a vague thought that that was probably just as dangerous as the AED.

Carter finished breathing for Maria, and Jackson resumed compressions. “One, two, three, four, five—is an ambulance going to meet us if we pull over? Eleven, twelve…”

“We can pull over when the AED starts analyzing!” Carter said, his voice harsh. “It’s almost a straight shot from here to the turn into the hospital. Just tell them what the Rubicon looks like, it’s bright fucking blue, they can’t miss it!”

“We’ll pull over to use the AED and then get back on the road,” Khalil told the operator. “It’s a neon blue Jeep Wrangler Rubicon!”

“Gemma, pull over!” Carter said.

She essentially stopped in the middle of the road, the vehicle pulling to the right.

“Twenty-seven—”

“Analyzing heart rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

Jackson leaned back, chest heaving.

“Analyzing heart rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

Jackson could hear the rhythmic clicking sound of the Rubicon’s emergency blinkers. His hands came up and plunged into his hair.

“Shock advised. Charging.” The harsh alarm rang out a fifth time. “Do not touch patient. Stand clear. Press shock button.”

“I’m clear!” Carter said.

Jackson pressed the shock button, watched his wife’s chest jump and her hands flinch.

“Shock delivered. Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

“Did she take anything?” Khalil asked.

“No, we didn’t bring anything for her to take,” Jackson said.

“No shock advised. Resume CPR for two minutes.”

“What does that mean?!” Jackson exclaimed.

“I’m driving!” Gemma shouted, and they felt the Rubicon lurch forward.

Carter started compressions again. “I don’t know. Three, four, five, six…”

“She was sick, I don’t know!” Khalil exclaimed.

“Her side was hurting,” Jackson said, trying to be loud enough for the operator to hear. “She was cold, and lightheaded. She has a rash on her side. No allergies, no pre-existing conditions. She takes some vitamins and she’s got an IUD…”

“Thirty!”

Jackson bent over, grasped her face in his hands, and forced a breath into her. “Don’t die, please don’t die, please…” He gave her another breath.

He stayed bent over her, hands cupping her face. Tears were dripping onto her face and the mask, and he wiped the moisture gently off her skin.

Carter sounded frustrated. “…twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen—Jesus, are we going to beat the ambulance to the hospital?! Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

Jackson’s hands on her face were more of a loving gesture now than any semblance of medical attention, though he still wrapped his lips around the mask valve and breathed into her once, then twice. “Maria. If you can hear me, I’m not ready and neither are you. Don’t die. Please, Maria!”

“…eight, nine, ten…”

“What do you mean what direction are we headed?! Southbound! Like I said earlier!” Khalil sounded distraught. “THAT’S NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN GET WRONG RIGHT NOW!”

“Are they going the wrong direction?!” Gemma asked, the Rubicon swerving.

“I don’t know! Pay attention to where you’re driving!”

“Thirty!”

He gave her two full breaths and then used his thumb to close her eyes.

“One, two, three, four…”

She didn’t look dead now that her eyes were closed. She looked very unwell, or dying, but he could believe she wasn’t dead now that the lifelessness in her formerly warm, dark eyes was no longer visible.

“False alarm on the ambulance going the wrong direction,” Khalil said, his voice tight. “Operator got confused.”

“…twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty!”

I love you. Breath. I love you so much. Breath.

“One, two, three…” Carter sounded like he’d been running. Jackson glanced up at him, took in his red face and the sweat dripping off his nose.

“Thank you,” he murmured, before turning his attention back to her face.

“…fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen—Gemma! Pull over! Twenty-two…”

This time, Gemma made it onto the shoulder.

“Thirty!”

Stay with me. Breath.

This time, the AED chimed in when he was mid second breath.

“Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

“Any idea,” Carter took a deep breath, “when the ambulance is going to meet us?”

“Analyzing rhythm. Do not touch patient.”

“They’re asking about the ambulance—” Khalil said into the phone. Then he gasped. “Okay! Okay, they aren’t far out! They didn’t come from the hospital; they came from a station—”

“Shock advised. Charging. Do not touch patient.” The warning sound pealed. “Stand clear. Press shock button.”

Carter raised his hands.

Jackson pressed the shock button.

Her back bowed slightly, ribs visible, breasts quaking and her limbs twitching.

“Shock delivered. Analyzing rhythm.”

“I SEE THE AMBULANCE!” Gemma shrieked.

“No shock advised.”

Maria’s eyelids fluttered, though they didn’t open. Carter leaned over her, his hand on her chest and the other hand lifting the CPR mask to the side. Then he moved his hand off her chest and pressed his fingers into her neck.

“She has a pulse!”

A wave of relief and shock crashed over Jackson. He could hear the approaching sirens, and Gemma’s door as she hopped out to flag the ambulance down.

“She’s not breathing,” Carter said. He sounded weary. “She’s got a pulse, but she’s still not breathing. Or maybe she’s breathing shallow, I can’t tell.”

He fitted the mask back on her face, but Jackson nudged him to the side.

“I’ve got her,” he said, slipping a hand under her neck to support it. He closed his lips over the valve and gave her a deep, hopeful breath.

#resus writing #female resus #medical drama #cpr resus

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phone-system-for-business · 11 days ago

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How to find the best business phone system for small business operations?

Elevate your small business communications with a user-friendly phone system that can evolve with your business needs.

With cloud based phone systems gaining popularity among businesses of all sizes, traditional phone systems are quickly becoming obsolete.

With speed of communication and clarity being top priorities to many small businesses today, VoIP is a great option because research shows that using VoIP phone systems saves an average of 32 minutes daily. VoIP also helps reduce your local call costs by up to 40%, making it perfect for your small enterprise trying to cut back costs but retain the same level of communication and service quality.

These modern solutions can be great but with the number of options available in the market, navigating a never-ending availability of cloud-based phone systems can take up your time. That’s why having the right guide can help you find the best business phone system for small businesses.

Get the best phone system for your small business with Uniden

A trusted name in telecommunication, Uniden is also Australia’s smartest cloud-based business phone system catering to different industries from healthcare to real estate and legal. Our focus on reliability and innovation gives us the ability to elevate business communication capabilities for businesses of all sizes.

From feature-rich hosted VoIP solutions to scalable cloud-based phone systems, we design our solutions to seamlessly integrate with your business and existing operations to build a future-ready communication ecosystem.

#business phone systems #phone systems for healthcare #cloud based phone systems #real estate phone system #school phone systems

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sleektelecom-uk · 25 days ago

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Why Does Your Business Need Hosted VoIP Service? Find Out Now!

When you are running a business, you need to look for solutions that will make your day-to-day activities fast and smooth. You need to take measures that will ensure that your employees have access to solutions that help them boost their productivity level. One such solution is the Hosted VoIP. It is way more reliable that your traditional landline. There is no need to change your existing landline phone number. You can use the same number for call forwarding, call recording, call on hold by just shifting to Hosted VoIP. You can now take your business anywhere. Extremely easy to set up, the installation can be done in a matter of minutes. Let the experts take control of the situation.

And the best part about this solution is that it is fully cloud based. This means you get to enjoy a cost-effective solution through which you can manage all your communications and that too will best in the class range of functions. How much will it cost you? Well, the amount is not that much. Get in touch with the leading Cloud VoIP provider to find out more about the different packages on offer. You will be excited to know that they offer personalised packages as well. So, if you are interested in customised solutions, do not hesitate in expressing the same. The experts will come up with the best possible solution that meets your business requirements. Go ahead and make the most of this service. What more could you ask for?

#Hosted VoIP #Cloud VoIP provider

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seo-canberra-7 · 1 month ago

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Using Google Voice for Business - Learn the Benefits

What Is Google Voice: A Guide to the Fundamentals

Google Voice is a phone service that was first introduced in 2009. It gives customers access to a US-based phone number via which they may send and receive text messages and voicemails online. For personal use, it's free and offers economical international calling as well as unlimited messages and calls to any number in the US or Canada. In addition, it offers call blocking, call forwarding, automatic routing, and the capacity to give contacts and callers personalized voicemail greetings.

The only caveat is that in order to qualify for a free Google Voice number, you need to already have a US-based phone number. It's also important to note that although you can receive calls from anyone for free, in order to call someone outside of Canada or the United States, you'll need to add credits to your account. The location of the call determines the per-minute fee. There are some differences between Google Voice for Business and the free version. With three different licensing tiers and the ability to configure through the Google Workspace Admin Console, it offers a plethora of capabilities that are absent from the free version. Google Meet and Calendar can also be easily integrated with Google Voice for Business.

Google Voice's Business Features

In addition to the functions available in Google Voice's free edition, Google Voice for Business provides the following features:

AI-based voicemail transcription

Integration with Google Calendar and Google Meet

24/7 support and a high-uptime SLA

Usage/activity analytics

Ring groups

Multi-level auto attendants

Advanced reporting and analytics via BigQuery

eDiscovery for compliance purposes

Support for desk phones

Why Use Google Voice For My Business?

There are several reasons your business might want to use Google Voice, especially if you already have a Google Workspace implementation in place.

Adaptability. You're not limited by your desk or even your smartphone when using Google Voice. Google Voice is accessible on any device with an Internet connection as it can be used as a web application and has apps for both iOS and Android.

No agreements. An unfortunate aspect of conventional PBC is the prevalence of service providers who try to force customers into long-term vendor agreements. You can cancel Google Voice at any moment.

Integration of work spaces. As previously indicated, Google Meet and Google Calendar are perfectly integrated with Google Voice, making scheduling and meetings simpler.

straightforward administration and deployment. No specific hardware is needed for the deployment of Google Voice, and management is facilitated by the centralized Google Workspace Admin Portal in a number of ways.

User-friendlyness. End customers will find using Google Voice to be both easy and comfortable, particularly if they are already familiar with Google's overall portfolio or Hangouts, which will shortly be rebranded as Google Chat. Users can easily port their phone number to Google Voice for a nominal charge.

made to be scalable. As long as you did not register for a personal Google Voice number, Google Voice expands with your company without any problems. It is simple and painless to add new users and numbers.

What Google Voice's Drawbacks Are in a Business Setting?

There are always going to be issues with any service, and Google Voice is no exception. The basic truth is that, despite recent significant advancements, its origins are simply a consumer phone system. The result is that the solution has several flaws.

Accessible. Not all areas have access to Google Voice, which is possibly its biggest disadvantage. This is a big difference from VoIP phones, which provide service via any Internet-connected device thanks to desktop and mobile apps.

Cumbersome call forwarding. While Google Voice's call forwarding feature is generally simple to use, some customers may find it complex or difficult to understand. Contact management also needs work.

No support for shared lines. Do several people of your team require access to the same phone number? Regretfully, Google Voice does not allow you to accomplish that. Not without a separate phone system, which kind of negates the whole point of doing away with PBX.

Widespread integration. If you're not using Google Workspace or Polycom devices, you aren't going to be able to use Google Voice to its maximum potential. Additionally, some services are still having problems accepting Google Voice numbers as authentic.

privacy issues. All of your data is kept on Google's servers. Even while Google takes tremendous precautions to preserve this data, the fact that you do not own your audit logs entirely might nevertheless cause issues in some businesses.

Absence of sophisticated functionality. Google Voice's advanced features are likewise a bit of a mixed bag. For example, vanity numbers, commercial caller IDs, and toll-free numbers are not supported.

issues with tech help. While Google provides round-the-clock assistance to Google Voice Business subscribers, the Google Community Forums are largely utilized by its users. Additionally, it might be difficult to traverse Google's knowledge base, and the firm provides no assistance with implementation.

How to Set Up Google Voice for Business

If Your Google Voice Number Is Personal

Navigate to voice.google.com

Click on "For personal use."

Choose between the web, iOS, and Android platforms.

Install and launch the Google Voice app on your phone, if applicable.

To view a list of available Google Voice numbers, enter your area code.

Once you've chosen a number, enter your existing phone number and click "Verify." This is the number that your Google Voice will forward incoming calls to.

Google will send you a phone code as a text message. Once you've received it, enter it when prompted.

Follow the on-screen prompts to finalize your Google Voice number.

If You're Buying a Business License for Google Voice

Open your Google Workspace Admin Console.

Select add or upgrade a subscription.

Select Google Voice on the sidebar.

Choose your licensing plan.

To configure and complete your company's subscription, adhere to the on-screen instructions.

Google Voice Might Not Be Right For You, But VoIP Definitely Is

Landlines are a dying breed. Realistically, it's impressive that they've limped along for more than a century with so little change. Ultimately, it's likely that the coronavirus pandemic was the final death knell for POTS — as businesses sought a means of adapting to a distributed workforce, they quickly realized that traditional phone systems simply weren't up to the task.

Just as distributed work is the future, so too are VoIP phone systems. Not only do they offer better connectivity, reliability, and flexibility than old-school PBX, they also greatly streamline communication through integration with other business software.

What's more, savvy businesses can unlock a whole new world of insights through analytics, identifying product bottlenecks, improving customer service, and identifying new opportunities. So if you are ready to bring your business telephony to the modern age, start your free trial with Ringover today!

https://gvaccountbuy.com/gmail-smtp/

https://gvaccountbuy.com/product/buy-icloud-account/

https://gvaccountbuy.com/create-a-textnow-account/

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shereen1 · 2 months ago

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Revolutionizing Communication: VoIP Products in Egypt

In today's fast-paced world, businesses across all sectors are increasingly relying on innovative communication technologies to maintain smooth operations. One of the most transformative technologies in this arena is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which has revolutionized the way organizations communicate both internally and externally. VoIP systems allow voice communication over the internet, offering businesses a cost-effective and versatile alternative to traditional phone systems. In Egypt, the growing demand for VoIP solutions is reshaping the communication landscape, and Hardware Egypt is at the forefront of this transformation, providing cutting-edge VoIP products to meet the needs of companies in the region.

Why VoIP?

VoIP is quickly becoming the preferred communication solution for businesses globally, and Egypt is no exception. The reasons are clear—VoIP systems offer several advantages over traditional phone systems, including:

Cost Efficiency: With VoIP, businesses can significantly reduce their communication costs. Traditional phone systems often charge by the minute or per call, especially for long-distance and international communication. VoIP, on the other hand, uses the internet to transmit calls, offering lower costs and even free internal calls within the company.

Flexibility and Mobility: VoIP allows employees to make and receive calls from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling seamless communication for remote workers or teams spread across different locations.

Scalability: VoIP systems are highly scalable, making them ideal for growing businesses. As your business expands, it's easy to add more lines or extensions without the need for additional hardware.

Advanced Features: Modern VoIP systems come with a range of features like voicemail-to-email, video conferencing, call recording, and analytics. These advanced tools enhance productivity and improve customer service.

The VoIP Market in Egypt

As the Egyptian economy continues to grow, more companies are recognizing the importance of integrating efficient communication systems. This has led to a surge in demand for VoIP solutions, with businesses across various sectors—such as banking, education, retail, and manufacturing—adopting this technology to stay competitive. However, implementing VoIP systems requires reliable hardware and services, which is where Hardware Egypt comes into play.

Hardware Egypt: Your One-Stop Shop for VoIP Products

Hardware Egypt has emerged as a trusted provider of high-quality VoIP products in Egypt. With years of experience in the hardware and IT solutions sector, the company has built a reputation for offering top-notch equipment and unparalleled customer support. Businesses in Egypt turn to Hardware Egypt for all their VoIP needs because of its extensive product range, expertise, and commitment to providing tailored solutions for clients.

VoIP Hardware Solutions from Hardware Egypt

At Hardware Egypt, you'll find a comprehensive selection of VoIP products designed to cater to businesses of all sizes. Whether you're a small startup looking to establish your communication infrastructure or a large enterprise seeking to upgrade your existing system, Hardware Egypt has the products and expertise to meet your needs. Some of the key VoIP products offered include:

IP Phones: Choose from a wide range of IP phones that offer features such as HD voice, large color displays, and multi-line support. These phones are designed for clarity, reliability, and ease of use.

VoIP Gateways: Convert traditional phone signals into VoIP signals with state-of-the-art gateways, allowing businesses to integrate VoIP solutions without completely overhauling their existing systems.

VoIP PBX Systems: These systems allow businesses to manage all incoming and outgoing calls via the internet, streamlining communication and improving efficiency.

Session Border Controllers (SBCs): Secure your VoIP network with SBCs that protect against cyber threats and ensure uninterrupted, high-quality voice calls.

Headsets and Accessories: Equip your team with high-quality VoIP headsets and accessories, ensuring clear and comfortable communication, even in noisy environments.

Why Choose Hardware Egypt?

As a leading provider of VoIP products in Egypt, Hardware Egypt goes beyond just offering hardware. The company is dedicated to providing comprehensive support throughout the purchasing and installation process. Here’s why Hardware Egypt stands out:

Expert Consultation: Hardware Egypt understands that each business has unique communication needs. That’s why they offer expert consultation to help you select the right products for your organization.

Quality Assurance: All products available through Hardware Egypt come from reputable global manufacturers, ensuring that customers receive only the highest quality hardware.

Technical Support: Installing a VoIP system can seem daunting, but Hardware Egypt offers full technical support to ensure a smooth transition. Whether you need help with installation, configuration, or troubleshooting, their team is ready to assist.

Competitive Pricing: With a focus on providing value, Hardware Egypt ensures that businesses get access to high-quality VoIP products without breaking the bank.

Conclusion

VoIP technology is transforming communication systems in Egypt, and businesses looking to stay ahead must embrace this innovative solution. As the demand for VoIP grows, companies need a reliable partner to provide them with the best hardware and support. Hardware Egypt is that partner—offering a wide range of VoIP products tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses across the country. By choosing Hardware Egypt, you ensure that your communication systems are future-ready, efficient, and cost-effective.

For more information about the latest VoIP products in Egypt, visit Hardware Egypt and take the first step toward transforming your business communication.

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voipminutes · 19 days ago

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Content Marketing Trends to Boost Your Lead Generation Efforts in 2025

As we move into 2025, content marketing continues to evolve, and so does the approach to effective lead generation. The digital landscape is becoming more competitive, and to stay ahead, it’s essential to understand and implement the latest trends. Here’s a look at the top content marketing trends for 2025 that can supercharge your lead generation efforts.

1. Embracing AI-Driven Content Creation and Personalization

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we create, distribute, and personalize content. In 2025, expect AI to play an even more significant role in content marketing. By using AI-powered tools, marketers can analyze vast amounts of data to understand customer preferences and create personalized content that speaks directly to their needs.

How it boosts lead generation: Personalized content increases engagement, captures attention, and nurtures prospects effectively, leading to higher conversion rates.

2. Investing in Video and Interactive Content

Video content has been on the rise for years, but in 2025, interactive video and live-streaming will be more important than ever. Interactive elements such as clickable links, quizzes, or polls embedded in videos create a two-way experience, engaging viewers more actively.

How it boosts lead generation: Interactive content captures and holds user attention, providing deeper insights into customer preferences and encouraging lead form submissions.

3. Focusing on Content Experience

Content experience is all about presenting information in a way that is not only engaging but also provides value. This includes optimizing how your content is displayed across platforms, ensuring seamless navigation, and incorporating multimedia elements that keep readers engaged.

How it boosts lead generation: A well-crafted content experience retains visitors on your site, reducing bounce rates and giving you more opportunities to capture their interest with lead magnets.

4. Leveraging the Power of Podcasts and Audio Content

Podcasts and audio content are gaining popularity as consumers look for convenient, on-the-go ways to consume information. Incorporating audio content in your strategy allows you to reach audiences who may prefer listening to reading.

How it boosts lead generation: Podcasts can build brand authority and create a loyal following, ultimately driving listeners to your website or encouraging them to sign up for newsletters, gated content, or other lead-generating offers.

5. Implementing Data-Driven Content Strategies

Data is at the core of effective content marketing. With advanced analytics tools, marketers can identify which types of content drive the most engagement and conversions. This enables more strategic, data-driven decisions about what content to create, where to publish it, and how to promote it.

How it boosts lead generation: By focusing on content that resonates with your audience, you increase the chances of attracting qualified leads, streamlining the customer journey, and optimizing resources.

6. Emphasizing Long-Form, In-Depth Content

While bite-sized content is popular, long-form articles, guides, and eBooks provide in-depth insights that establish authority and trust. In 2025, content that dives deep into topics will be crucial for brands looking to stand out and build credibility.

How it boosts lead generation: Long-form content tends to rank higher on search engines, bringing in more organic traffic and nurturing potential leads by answering detailed questions that can build trust.

7. Expanding into Niche Communities and Content Platforms

More brands are targeting niche online communities and platforms like Reddit, Quora, and specialized forums to share expertise and interact with audiences in a genuine way. This helps brands tap into smaller but highly engaged communities that often have unmet needs.

How it boosts lead generation: Niche communities provide access to highly targeted leads, allowing brands to build relationships and convert community members into prospects.

8. Optimizing for Voice Search and Conversational Content

With the growing adoption of smart speakers and voice-activated assistants, optimizing content for voice search is becoming essential. Voice search queries are often longer and more conversational, so adjusting your content to match these patterns can improve visibility.

How it boosts lead generation: Optimized voice search content can drive more organic traffic from voice queries, making it easier for potential leads to discover your brand and convert.

9. Incorporating Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Consumers today are increasingly concerned about sustainability and social responsibility. Brands that address these topics and show a commitment to ethical practices can connect with audiences on a deeper level.

How it boosts lead generation: Purpose-driven content resonates emotionally with audiences, fostering loyalty and increasing the likelihood of attracting leads who share similar values.

10. Prioritizing Content Distribution Channels and Partnerships

Creating great content is only part of the equation — knowing where to distribute it is equally crucial. By focusing on high-value channels and partnering with influencers or relevant brands, you can amplify your reach and drive more qualified leads.

How it boosts lead generation: Strategic partnerships and focused distribution can expose your brand to new audiences, building credibility and expanding your lead pool.

Final Thoughts

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead of these trends is essential for maximizing your lead generation efforts in 2025. By embracing personalization, investing in new content formats, and refining your distribution strategy, you’ll be well-equipped to attract, engage, and convert leads effectively. Stay adaptable, leverage data, and most importantly, continue creating valuable content that speaks to your audience’s needs.

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mycountrymobile9278 · 3 months ago

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Wholesale Voice: Enabling Seamless Global Communications

Introduction

Wholesale voice services are a crucial component of the global telecommunications ecosystem, enabling carriers and providers to extend their network reach, improve service quality, and increase revenue through the resale of voice services. By leveraging the network infrastructure and resources of other providers, wholesale voice solutions facilitate high-quality voice communications for end-users, while also driving innovation, competition, and efficiency in the market. As the demand for voice services continues to evolve, wholesale voice providers play a vital role in meeting the needs of carriers, operators, and customers alike.

What is Wholesale Voice?

Wholesale voice refers to the bulk purchase and sale of voice minutes or call capacity between telecommunications carriers, providers, or operators. This business-to-business (B2B) transaction enables providers to offer voice services to their customers, leveraging the network infrastructure and resources of other providers.

In the wholesale voice market, providers buy and sell voice minutes or call capacity in large volumes, typically on a per-minute or per-second basis. This allows them to:

Expand their network reach and coverage

Improve service quality and reliability

Increase revenue through resale of voice services

Offer competitive pricing and innovative services to their customers

Wholesale voice services can be used for various types of calls, including:

International calls

Long-distance calls

Local calls

Mobile calls

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls

The wholesale voice market is a critical component of the global telecommunications ecosystem, enabling providers to offer high-quality voice services to their customers while managing costs and improving efficiency.

What is Wholesale Voice Termination?

Wholesale voice termination, also known as voice termination or call termination, is the process of completing a voice call on behalf of another carrier or provider. This involves connecting the call to its final destination, typically a landline or mobile phone.

In wholesale voice termination, the terminating provider is responsible for:

Connecting the call to the final destination

Ensuring high-quality voice transmission

Managing call duration and billing

Wholesale voice termination services are typically offered by providers with a large network infrastructure and resources, such as:

Tier 1 carriers

Network operators

Voice service providers

These providers offer wholesale voice termination services to other carriers, providers, or operators, enabling them to:

Extend their network reach and coverage

Improve service quality and reliability

Increase revenue through resale of voice services

Wholesale voice termination involves various technical and commercial aspects, including:

Call routing and switching

Network interconnection and peering

Billing and settlement

Quality of service (QoS) management

The quality and reliability of wholesale voice termination services are critical to ensuring high-quality voice communications for end-users.

What are Wholesale Voice Providers?

Wholesale voice providers are companies that offer voice services to other carriers, providers, or operators on a bulk basis. They typically have a large network infrastructure and resources, enabling them to provide high-quality voice services at competitive rates.

Wholesale voice providers can be categorized into several types, including:

Tier 1 Carriers: Major telecommunications carriers with a large global network infrastructure, offering wholesale voice services to other providers.

Network Operators: Companies that own and operate network infrastructure, offering wholesale voice services to other providers.

Voice Service Providers: Specialized companies that focus on providing wholesale voice services to other providers.

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs): Companies that offer mobile services without owning their own network infrastructure, often relying on wholesale voice providers for network access.

Wholesale voice providers offer a range of services, including:

Wholesale Voice Termination: Completing voice calls on behalf of other providers.

Wholesale Voice Origination: Initiating voice calls on behalf of other providers.

International Voice Services: Providing voice services for international calls.

VoIP Services: Offering Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services for voice communications.

When selecting a wholesale voice provider, it's essential to consider factors such as:

Network quality and reliability

Competitive pricing

Service flexibility and scalability

Technical support and customer service

Wholesale voice providers play a critical role in enabling providers to offer high-quality voice services to their customers while managing costs and improving efficiency.

What is Wholesale Voice Business?

The wholesale voice business involves buying and selling voice minutes or call capacity between providers on a bulk basis. This business model allows providers to:

Expand network reach: Increase coverage and connectivity without investing in additional infrastructure.

Improve service quality: Leverage high-quality networks and infrastructure from other providers.

Increase revenue: Resell voice services to other providers or customers.

Manage costs: Reduce expenses by optimizing network utilization and capacity.

The wholesale voice business involves various activities, including:

Buying and selling voice minutes: Purchasing or selling voice capacity in bulk.

Negotiating rates and terms: Agreeing on pricing, volume, and service quality with other providers.

Managing network interconnections: Connecting and maintaining network infrastructure with other providers.

Monitoring and optimizing traffic: Ensuring high-quality voice services and optimizing network performance.

Wholesale voice business models vary, including:

Pure wholesale: Focus on buying and selling voice minutes without offering retail services.

Wholesale-retail hybrid: Offer both wholesale and retail voice services.

Partnerships and collaborations: Collaborate with other providers to expand network reach and improve service quality.

The wholesale voice business is critical to the global telecommunications ecosystem, enabling providers to:

Improve network efficiency

Increase competition

Drive innovation

Enhance customer experience

What are Wholesale Voice Rates?

Wholesale voice rates refer to the cost of purchasing voice minutes or call capacity from a wholesale provider. These rates vary depending on several factors, including:

Call volume: The number of minutes or calls purchased.

Destination: The geographic location of the call's termination point.

Quality of service: The level of voice quality and reliability required.

Network type: The type of network used for call termination (e.g., VoIP, TDM).

Provider reputation: The wholesale provider's reputation, network quality, and reliability.

Wholesale voice rates are typically quoted in one of the following formats:

Per-minute rates: Cost per minute of call time.

Per-second rates: Cost per second of call time.

Flat rates: Fixed cost for a specified volume of minutes or calls.

Discounted rates: Reduced rates for large volumes of minutes or calls.

Wholesale voice rates can be negotiated between providers, and prices may fluctuate based on market demand, network congestion, and other factors.

To optimize wholesale voice rates, providers should:

Monitor market trends: Stay informed about market fluctuations and adjust rates accordingly.

Negotiate with multiple providers: Compare rates and terms from different wholesale providers.

Optimize traffic routing: Ensure efficient call routing to minimize costs.

Implement quality control measures: Ensure high-quality voice services to maintain competitive rates.

Latest Trends in Voice Wholesale

The voice wholesale market is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer behavior, and shifting market dynamics. Here are some of the latest trends in voice wholesale:

Growing Demand for VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is gaining traction, driving demand for wholesale VoIP services.

Increased Focus on Quality: Providers are prioritizing high-quality voice services, with a focus on latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Advancements in Network Infrastructure: Upgrades in network infrastructure, such as the adoption of IPX (IP Exchange) and GRX (GPRS Roaming Exchange), are enabling more efficient and high-quality voice services.

Consolidation and Partnerships: Providers are forming partnerships and consolidating to expand their network reach, improve service quality, and increase competitiveness.

Rising Importance of Security: As voice services become increasingly vulnerable to fraud and cyber threats, providers are investing in advanced security measures to protect their networks and customers.

Emergence of New Business Models: New business models, such as CPaaS (Communications Platform as a Service) and UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), are changing the way voice services are delivered and consumed.

Increased Adoption of Automation: Automation technologies, such as AI and machine learning, are being used to optimize voice services, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Growing Demand for Real-time Communications: The increasing demand for real-time communications, such as video conferencing and instant messaging, is driving innovation in voice wholesale services.

How can I improve the quality of my VoIP Routes?

Improving the quality of your VoIP routes involves several strategies to ensure high-quality voice communications. Here are some tips to help you optimize your VoIP routes:

Monitor and Analyze Traffic: Regularly monitor your VoIP traffic to identify quality issues, such as latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Choose Reliable Providers: Select wholesale VoIP providers with a strong reputation, high-quality networks, and reliable infrastructure.

Implement Quality of Service (QoS): Configure QoS settings to prioritize voice traffic, ensuring sufficient bandwidth and minimizing congestion.

Optimize Network Configuration: Ensure proper network configuration, including correct routing, firewall settings, and SIP settings.

Use Advanced Routing Techniques: Utilize advanced routing techniques, such as least cost routing (LCR) and quality-based routing (QBR), to optimize call routing.

Regularly Test and Maintain Equipment: Perform regular maintenance and testing of your VoIP equipment to ensure optimal performance.

Implement Security Measures: Protect your VoIP network from fraud, hacking, and other security threats by implementing robust security measures.

Utilize Real-time Analytics: Leverage real-time analytics tools to monitor and optimize your VoIP routes in real-time.

Consider SD-WAN: Implement SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) solutions to optimize network performance and quality.

Continuously Evaluate and Improve: Regularly evaluate your VoIP routes and make improvements to ensure high-quality voice communications.

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve the quality of your VoIP routes, ensuring reliable and high-quality voice communications for your customers.

What is Wholesale Termination?

Wholesale termination, also known as voice termination or call termination, is the process of completing a voice call on behalf of another carrier or provider. This involves connecting the call to its final destination, typically a landline or mobile phone.

Wholesale termination services are typically offered by providers with a large network infrastructure and resources, such as:

Tier 1 carriers

Network operators

Voice service providers

Wholesale termination involves various technical and commercial aspects, including:

Call routing and switching

Network interconnection and peering

Billing and settlement

Quality of service (QoS) management

Wholesale termination is a critical component of the global telecommunications ecosystem, enabling providers to:

Extend their network reach and coverage

Improve service quality and reliability

Increase revenue through resale of voice services

There are different types of wholesale termination, including:

Direct Termination: Connecting calls directly to the final destination network.

Indirect Termination: Connecting calls through intermediate networks or providers.

Switched Termination: Connecting calls through a switch or exchange.

Wholesale termination rates vary depending on factors such as:

Destination network

Call volume

Quality of service

Provider reputation

What are Wholesale Termination Rates?

Wholesale termination rates refer to the cost of terminating a voice call on behalf of another carrier or provider. These rates vary depending on several factors, including:

Destination network: The network where the call is terminated, such as a landline or mobile network.

Call volume: The number of calls terminated, with higher volumes often leading to lower rates.

Quality of service: The level of voice quality and reliability required, with higher quality services commanding higher rates.

Provider reputation: The wholesale provider's reputation, network quality, and reliability, with more reputable providers often charging higher rates.

Market conditions: Supply and demand dynamics, regulatory requirements, and market competition influencing rates.

Wholesale termination rates are typically quoted in one of the following formats:

Per-minute rates: Cost per minute of call time.

Per-second rates: Cost per second of call time.

Flat rates: Fixed cost for a specified volume of minutes or calls.

Discounted rates: Reduced rates for large volumes of minutes or calls.

Wholesale termination rates can be negotiated between providers, and prices may fluctuate based on market conditions and other factors.

To optimize wholesale termination rates, providers should:

Monitor market trends: Stay informed about market fluctuations and adjust rates accordingly.

Negotiate with multiple providers: Compare rates and terms from different wholesale providers.

Optimize traffic routing: Ensure efficient call routing to minimize costs.

Implement quality control measures: Ensure high-quality voice services to maintain competitive rates.

Some major global wholesale Voice

My Country Mobile: Offers competitive rates for wholesale voice services

Verizon — As one of the largest telecom companies, Verizon offers advanced Voice solutions through its global network covering over 150 countries. Verizon caters to large enterprises, government agencies, and wholesale partners.

Bandwidth — A leading global wholesale provider with a presence in the country through voice network coverage and number provisioning. Bandwidth provides VoIP, PSTN, and toll-free call termination.

Rozper — Rozper is a leading international communications enabler with a global VoIP footprint. Their worldwide network covers Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Asia Pacific.

Ace Peak — Ace Peak offers global wholesale voice termination services with POPs located across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They provide reliable call routing worldwide.

These providers have the scale, coverage, and technical capabilities required to serve major wholesalers and carriers across different regions. They enable global voice connectivity through their extensive VoIP network

Conclusion

Wholesale voice services are a vital component of the global telecommunications landscape, enabling carriers and providers to deliver high-quality voice communications to end-users while driving innovation, competition, and efficiency in the market. As the demand for voice services continues to evolve, wholesale voice providers will play an increasingly important role in meeting the needs of carriers, operators, and customers alike. By understanding the intricacies of wholesale voice, including termination rates, quality optimization, and market trends, providers can unlock new opportunities for growth, revenue, and customer satisfaction. As the industry continues to advance, the importance of wholesale voice will only continue to grow.

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