EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Automated voice messages, or ‘robocalls’ cause you to lose precious focus on the projects destined to emerge as your crowning achievements, or on the exceedingly important investor pitch that you are meticulously rehearsing. Talk about disruptive technologies.

Despite attempts to solve the problem of phony phone calls with call filters and a smorgasbord of apps, nothing seems to stick as a permanent fix.

The apps rely on a blacklist of phone numbers. Spammers can simply generate new numbers, and put them into action. While you can place your phone number on the Do Not Call Registry, there’s no guarantee with that either.

“People who try to spam numbers on the [Do Not Call Registry] list risk hefty fines from the federal government,” writes The New York Times.

Telephone service providers are designing new technologies to help us get rid of this headache. The next preventative technology is called Stir/Shaken, which will utilize specific systems to authenticate the caller.

“Phone companies are experimenting with letting calls ring your phone and telling you whether or not the token has been “signed,” or verified as coming from the actual caller. Depending on which smartphone you own, a verified call could appear on your screen with a check mark or a message like ‘call authenticated.’”

Scammers are vicious, and really have the potential to fool people -including employees- putting your business and your workers at risk.

The Federal Trade Commission (FCC) reports that in 2017, individuals who fell for phone scams lost an average of $700.00 each, with combined losses amounting to $332 million.

CyberTalk will keep tracking the latest on emerging scam prevention technologies. Check back regularly to see what’s new.

Get the full story at The New York Times.