The scourge of modern telecommunication is robocalls. They plague businesses, personal cell phones, and home phones. Even the FCC chairman gets them, “I hate robocalls as much as you do,” he wrote in a 2020 USA Today article. Despite the harsher regulations regarding spoofing and scam calls, they’re still something that both consumers and businesses have to handle.

What are robocalls, and why are they so prevalent?

Consumers submit over 200,000 complaints about robocalls to the FCC each year. According to some estimates, US citizens receive over four billion calls every month. They’re more than annoying; at times, they feel like harassment. A computer dials numbers and plays a recorded message when someone answers.

It’s critical as a consumer not to answer calls from unknown numbers, and if you do so, hang up immediately. Scam calls can spoof local numbers, hiding the true identity of the caller. Some signs you’re on the receiving end of a scam call:

• Never respond to a recorded message; the scammer can use your vocal response to confirm unauthorized charges on your bill later.
• Official agencies, such as the IRS, law enforcement, and more, will never ask for payment with a gift card.
• Hang up with the purported agency or organization and call back via a phone number found on your bill or their website.

Many people suffer financial loss from a scam call. If it happens to you, report the incident to local law enforcement and file an FCC complaint.

What is being done regarding the ban on robocalls by the FCC?

Because of the impact on consumers, the FCC ban on robocalls started taking significant action. Now, businesses must adhere to strict STIR-SHAKEN guidelines for authentication to prove that there are who the caller ID says they are. It requires telecom companies to adopt new technologies to protect consumers against defrauding by scam calls. Some other steps the FCC is taking:

• Significant fines: telemarketers who use “neighbor spoofing” to look like they’re calling from a local area code can now get hit with substantial FCC fines.
• Robotexting prevention: the FCC empowered wireless providers to take measures to stop robotexting scams.
• Third-party partnerships: by working with third-party vendors, consumers can enable call blocking on their phones to limit robocalls.

There’s still a lot of work needed to stop robocalls. Not picking up the phone is the most crucial action consumers can take to protect themselves against a scam or fraud.

How do third-party providers prevent robocalls?

Consumers have an array of options for enabling call blocking on their phones. Signing up for the national Do Not Call registry stops lawful telemarketers but is just one option available.

Some cell phones now send unknown numbers directly to voicemail or allow a single ring before ending the call. Consumers can go a step further by working with companies who provide STIR-SHAKEN authentication for callers.

Prescott-Martini stops robocalls through token authentication, the most secure way of verifying identification. Once a number is confirmed, it will always appear as a “verified caller” on your caller ID screen. Calls from unverified numbers terminate before they reach your phone.

Partner with Prescott-Martini for a real reduction of spam following the FCC ban of robocalls.

Prescott-Martini provides STIR-SHAKEN service with verified ANIs and digital tokens for calls. We offer unique, sophisticated technology that embeds authentication tokens into the data stream of company telephone calls, ensuring that they are from a verified source. It’s advanced compliance with the 2019 TRACED Act from congress, designed to decrease robocall harassment.

For more information on how Prescott-Martini can incorporate STIR-SHAKEN caller ID authentication into your company’s phone calls or block robocalls from your business, get in touch today.