According to research, more than 50.3 billion automated calls were received by Americans in 2022, a decline from the 50.5 billion robocalls received in 2021. Over 40 percent of those calls were estimated to have been placed by scammers. Illegal robocalls include telemarketing scams, where automated calls from sales companies you haven’t authorized contact you and attempt theft scams.

This article will discuss how to identify and prevent illegal robocalling.

What is the difference between legal and illegal robocalls?

Knowing the distinction between legal and illegal robocalls is essential when it comes to assessing the environment. For example, federal laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) do not prohibit any and all robocalls. The TCPA is responsible for regulating calls made using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice to home and cell phones if the consumer has not consented to receive them.

However, if a consumer has consented to receive robocalls, then the call is legal. Reputable and legitimate businesses and organizations utilize robocalls to provide consumers with critical and time-sensitive information, such as school closures or fraud alerts.

On the other hand, those who send illegal robocalls ignore the federal and state laws governing the use of autodialers and prerecorded messages. Most illegal robocalls center around unlawful solicitations for products and services to fraudulent and criminal activity.

How to prevent illegal robocalls

STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited) and SHAKEN (Secure Handling of Asserted Information) are protocols that help prevent and combat fraudulent robocalls and caller ID spoofing. They offer a framework that validates the caller's identity, ensuring that the number you see on your screen is genuine.

STIR-SHAKEN compliance means that by adhering to these protocols, every call made over your network is legitimate and not spoofed.

How STIR-SHAKEN Works

There are many technical intricacies to STIR-SHAKEN compliance. But at Prescott-Martini, we do our best to simplify the process for you. Here’s how STIR-SHAKEN works from start to end:

1. When the process is initiated, the call sender provides a target number to Prescott-Martini through a MySQL data link for STIR-SHAKEN processing.
2. From there, Prescott-Martini acknowledges your MySQL data request and incorporates a “certified caller ID” from our ANI collection.
3. Our service provider signature, recognized by the national STIR-SHAKEN overseer and acknowledged by major phone carriers, is created.
4. Your MySQL data is then integrated into your call SIP header. At this stage, we also devise an API that allows you to manage any ANI associated with your account.
5. The person then receiving the call will notice a message like “call from Mom” on their caller ID display. However, depending on whether the token is a B or a C grade, the message may vary.

The process listed above is essential to preventing harmful robocalls and has been tested and tried by our team at Prescott-Martini.

Contact Prescott-Martini, LLC today for help setting up STIR-SHAKEN Caller ID!

As a best-in-class telephone call security company, Prescott-Martini, LLC’s expertise lies in STIR-SHAKEN attestation. Our team uses patent-pending technology to help telecom companies block illegal robocalling and phone scams and help them comply with the federal TRACED Act.

Government regulations surrounding technology change constantly, and sometimes, addressing these changes in-house can be costly. We make things easier for telecom companies by providing the services that they’re required to have without spending more on infrastructure than they have to.

Learn how we can help your company do the same by contacting us through the form on our website.