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October 2018
By Jason Wendel
You may have noticed a huge uptick in robocalls and phone scams lately. I receive upwards of 6 or 7 of these calls a day, and I know some people endure even more than that. While phone scams and annoying sales calls are nothing new, we have seen a huge increase in their frequency over the past few years, and most of these are of the automated robocall variety. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 7 million complaints about scam calls in 2017 alone, and that is just scratching the surface. Some private analysts estimate U.S. consumers now receive more than 4 billion robocalls every month.
Believe it or not, many robocalls are legal, and there are some situations where people find them helpful. For example, school delays, appointment reminders, flight cancellations, and other automated messages are all meant to make our lives easier. Charities and political campaigns also heavily rely on telemarketing for fundraising and campaigning. All these types of calls are perfectly fine according to the FTC. However, if you get a call with a recorded sales message from a company and you have not given them your express permission to receive these calls, that call is illegal and, most likely, fraudulent in nature.
The dramatic increase in robocalls can be attributed to advancements in telemarketing technology, which has been getting progressively cheaper every year. Recent improvements in automated dialing platforms and the advent of Voice Over IP (VoIP) allow these spammers to call thousands of people simultaneously and do so at lower costs than ever before. Robocalling also has a built-in efficiency advantage over traditional telemarketing in that a human caller is not needed until the customer (or victim) decides to engage further by pressing a number on his or her phone or calling a number back that was left by a robocaller’s voicemail.
Recent technology makes it easier to fake the caller identification (caller ID) information that appears on these calls, as well. To trick you into answering, many telemarketers are now spoofing their phone numbers so calls appear to come from the same area code and local prefix as your number. For example, if your phone number is 555-555-5309, their caller ID will show up as 555-555-XXXX, where the last four digits are likely just a few numbers removed from your number. This “neighbor” spoofing is one of the fastest growing areas of abuse in telemarketing, making it even more difficult to discern if a call is spam or not. The idea is that you are more likely to answer a local call. Perhaps you think it is the auto shop calling about your car, your dentist with an appointment reminder, or a restaurant confirming your reservation.
Worse yet, robocallers sometimes select a valid, active phone number from which to spoof. I have had the displeasure of experiencing this firsthand when someone made some robocalls using my cell number as the caller ID. How do I know? A few months ago, I suddenly started receiving calls and texts from people I did not know. Some would ask, “I saw I missed your call, who is this?” Others simply told me to stop calling them. If this happens to you, let the other person know that a robocaller has manipulated their caller ID to look like their calls are coming from your number, and that you did not actually call them. If you consistently receive calls from people about this issue, simply ignore all incoming calls that you do not recognize. If the problem persists, you can update your outgoing voicemail to include an explanation that your phone number is being spoofed and you are not really calling them. Luckily, scammers frequently change their caller ID spoofing to avoid getting that number blocked, and it is likely they will stop using your number after a few hours or so.
Now, you might be wondering, “how did they get my number?” Unfortunately, the sad truth is that they can call you even if they do not have your phone number. With robocalling costs at an all-time low, many of these spammers simply dial every single number combination possible within the valid area codes and prefixes out there. For example, 555-283-0000… 0001… 0002… 0003… etc. Then they move on to another area code/prefix combination and do the same thing. Their automated systems can churn through all these numbers so quickly that it is only a matter of time before they dial your number. Some of the more advanced systems will even mark numbers as active or disconnected for future reference. For example, if the robocall is answered, the system marks the number as an active line, and they will likely harass you more in the future–or, worse yet, sell your number to other telemarketers as part of a database of known active lines. If the call goes to voicemail or they reach a “this number is out of service” message, they likely will not call back as much. If you pick up the phone and realize it is a robocall, hang up immediately. Do not call them back or press any keys to speak to an operator, even if they promise they can add you to a “do not call” list. These scammers are already calling you illegally–do you really think they have a “do not call” list? This is just a trick to confirm they have a real person on the other end of the line. If you respond in any way, it could lead to more robocalls.
Are you as wary of these calls as I am? If so, read on to learn some strategies to fight back! I will share four general approaches you can take to help reduce these nuisance calls:
Before moving forward with any of these solutions, keep in mind that there are some potential drawbacks. Any solution used for blocking spam calls also risks blocking other calls that you may find helpful. For instance, if your doctor’s office or a friend’s phone number is inadvertently added to the database that your spam-blocking service uses, you may not receive calls from him or her going forward. The good news is that most blocking services allow you to configure how aggressively they block suspected spam calls, so you can adjust your settings as needed.
Services generally categorize spam phone numbers as either likely spam or known spam. Likely spam includes numbers that only a few people have reported back to their service as spam. To indicate these calls, most services simply display a phone notification or modify the caller ID field to include “Likely spam” and allow the call to ring through so you can decide to answer or decline. Known spam includes only the most egregious offenders, where many people have reported their number as spam. Services typically block these entirely or send them directly to your voicemail. If you find that you are missing out on legitimate calls, tweak your call-blocking settings to be less aggressive.
All major mobile phone providers offer database-driven services to help protect you from these calls. These services can block calls from phone numbers based on the provider’s list of likely and known spam numbers. Keep in mind that by using these services, or any spam solution, you risk blocking robocalls that you may find helpful.
If you are unhappy with the options from your provider, or you would rather not deal with additional monthly fees from Verizon or Sprint, consider using your phone’s built-in features. Modern smartphones have the capability to block calls based on the caller ID. For instance, if a specific nuisance caller is bothering you repeatedly, you can manually add their phone number to the block list. Additionally, all phones from Google and Samsung come with database-driven anti-spam features built in, and other phone manufacturers may be looking to add these features down the road. These solutions work using the same strategy offered by the major mobile providers, where likely and known spam calls are dealt with accordingly based on their categorization in the spam caller database.
Google’s Pixel phones automatically show a red background for incoming calls that are suspected spam. In addition to the Caller ID field showing “Suspected Spam,” this serves as a visual cue that you probably should not answer the call. For known spam, it sends these calls directly to your voicemail and does not even bother you with a missed call notification. You can configure these settings in the Caller ID & Spam Protection settings on your Pixel phone.
Samsung’s built-in Smart Call feature automatically flags spam calls with the text “suspected spam” or “potential fraud” as they come in, depending on how it categorizes the call. Additional features to block known spam can also be configured, much like in Google’s offering.
Another solution is to install a third-party phone app to help block and identify spam calls. There are many different apps out there. I’ve highlighted some of the more popular and effective options available for both Android and iOS below:
I highly recommend RoboKiller as the best paid solution, and Hiya is probably the best free option. Both are highly rated and have a great track record in terms of security. In my experience, RoboKiller’s unique approach makes it more effective than the free options. However, if you don’t have the budget for a paid solution, give Hiya, YouMail, or TrueCaller a shot.
Of course, as with any app-based solution, there are security and privacy concerns to consider. To get a good database of known spammers, these apps need good data. To get that data, many of these apps have turned to crowdsourcing and request permissions to access your phone’s address book. This helps them build and verify their dataset and avoid potentially blocking one of your contacts. However, handing over all that data can be concerning, especially in the case of the TrueCaller hack. If you are uncomfortable with sharing this information, review the app permissions carefully prior to installing.
Last, but certainly not least, is the most drastic option of all: using DND mode. All modern smartphones have a DND feature which can be configured to only allow calls from numbers already listed in your phone contacts. Any calls you receive that are not in your contacts will go directly to voicemail. If you would rather give yourself a little more flexibility, you could do the manual equivalent of this approach instead and just never answer your phone unless you recognize the name or number.
Keep in mind that you should only use the DND mode strategy as a last resort, as you will definitely miss out on some legitimate calls using this method.
While many scam calls are made via robocalls, some will have a live person on the other end or ask you to call back to speak with a person. The following are a few paraphrased examples of common scams:
As technology improves, scammers may start to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) to further automate interaction with their victims. The robotic tones of the robocall voices will improve, as well. We are in the golden age of AI and machine learning, and computer-synthesized speech is sounding more realistic every day. Eventually, speech synthesis and AI interaction may be so good that it is impossible to differentiate robocalls from human callers. Newer technologies like this will inevitably make our lives better, but these same breakthroughs can also be used to defraud us. If something does not seem right, ask the caller for a callback number. Then, hang up and do some research before taking any action.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind:
In addition to the above solutions and tips, it is important to stay vigilant. Do not be afraid to question the authenticity of any call you receive. Be sure to warn your friends and family members about this type of fraud, especially elderly members of your family who are frequently targeted in scams. If these calls are happening to you, they are likely happening to the people you care about, as well.
Do your employees receive annoying calls from fraud groups or other types of robocalls? Don’t let your company fall victim to a costly phone scam. Briljent can help! We provide custom training for a wide variety of organizations including state and federal agencies, as well as corporate environments. Contact our business development team today! We promise we’ll answer the phone, even if we don’t recognize your phone number.
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