Phone Companies Required To Use Anti Robocaller Tech June 30
"We've been trying to reach you concerning your extended car warranty." Ugh, enough already. Robocalls are the scourge of the 21st century. Most people get multiple calls a day from these scammers. An article in CNET says that US consumers have already received 22 billion robocalls in the first half of 2021. That's ridiculous and something needs to be done about it. The FCC is requiring all voice providers to make some changes by June 30.
The way robocallers get through the system is by disguising their numbers and tricking you into answering. For example around here we may get these phone numbers that have Minnesota area codes or local 218 numbers. Maybe you'll ignore the call once, but sometimes you may think that it might be a doctor's office or someone legitimate calling and then you answer.
It's a cheap way to throw a large net out their for scammers. Sometimes these scammers will trick you into giving out sensitive information. They may threaten you by saying a warrant is out for your arrest and you need to pay up now. They can get creative and they often try to scare you so that you don't have time to think.
The Federal Communication Commission is requiring major voice providers like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Comcast to use the technology called Stir/Shaken. The technology basically makes sure that calls are identified and signed as legitimate by originating carries and validated before it ever gets to you. Long story short, the caller ID needs to match the phone call's origin. CNET explains it better and in a lot more detail, but that's the basic gist of it.
Will it work? We should know very shortly. Hopefully these bad guys don't figure out a way around it.