Bob Gnapp Director Member Training & Network Analysis

Transcription

1 Robocalls and Spoofing Bob Gnapp Director Member Training & Network Analysis This presentation may be used by attendees for informational purposes only. No part of this presentation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

2 Robocalls Caller-ID spoofing Consumer protection hints Past mitigation efforts Recent/future mitigation efforts Helping your subscribers 2

3 Robocalls What are they? An unsolicited autodialed, prerecorded message or text Autodialers are sometimes used to place human to human calls Human to human non-autodialed calls maybe subject to different rules Some companies can sustain up to 2000 simultaneous calls using a single server 3

4 Robocalls Federal laws Robocalls are permitted only to those who have given prior express consent Consent cannot be a condition of purchase An opt-out option is required during each robocall Must disclose its name, its contact phone number and its address during the call Autodialed human to human calls are generally governed by telemarketing rules 4

5 Robocalls Federal laws Landline exemptions to prior consent Emergency calls Informational calls Political, market research and polling Calls from tax-exempt nonprofits Wireless exemptions to prior consent Emergency calls only 5

6 Robocalls Many states have their own laws 6

7 Robocalls Ringless voice mail? Allows callers to leave automated messages on a wireless phone s voic The called parties phone never rings! This technology currently falls into a regulatory grey area April 2017 FCC Public Notice asks for comments on ringless voice mail treatment 7

8 Caller ID spoofing What is it and how does it work? Deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to the called party s caller-id Phone number Calling party name In some cases, the calling party may simply block their caller-id Caller ID spoofing is not new Caller ID spoofing has become easier 8

9 Caller ID spoofing Getting more sophisticated My cell phone number s NPA NXX is During a one week period in June, I received unwanted calls from the following numbers: XXX XXX XXX XXX7 XXX XXX XXX6 9

10 Caller ID spoofing Is caller-id spoofing legal? There are legitimate uses of caller ID spoofing Illegal if done with intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value Number blocking is not subject to the same rules as caller ID spoofing 10

11 Consumer protection hints List your phone number with the Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call Registry There are several exceptions to the rule Business lines Established business relationships Political, market research and polling Calls from tax-exempt nonprofits 11

12 Consumer protection hints Set up anonymous call rejection on your phone [*77 turns it on] [*87 turns it off] Obtain consumer blocking tools and services 12

13 Consumer protection hints Don t give out personal information in response to unsolicited calls Don t say anything or press any buttons Don t trust the caller-id Don t pay upfront for a promise Don t be rushed into action 13

14 Consumer protection hints Hang up on sales pitch robocalls Checkout a charity before you give Carefully read any questionnaires or surveys Consider how you pay You can t win a contest you didn t enter 14

15 Past mitigation efforts 2003 Do Not Call Implementation Act - Initiates FTC national do not call registry Like robocalls rules, there are several exceptions to the rule Business lines Established business relationships Political, market research and polling Calls from tax-exempt nonprofits 15

16 Past mitigation efforts 2009 Truth in Caller - ID Act - prohibits certain misleading or inaccurate Caller ID with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value, 2015 Omnibus Declaratory Order - strengthened protections of the TCPA Confirmed that providers may offer call blocking tools 2016 FCC Guidance PN - Providers may block calls from a number if the subscriber to that telephone number requests it 16

17 Recent mitigation efforts July 2017 NOI proposes to implement new standards (SKAKEN/STIR) to verify the authenticity of caller-id Full, partial and gateway attestation used to convey caller-id reliability May also provide call categorization May allow for easier traceback Implementation may require new investment or expense for providers and consumers 17

18 Recent mitigation efforts November 2017 FCC Report and Order and FNPR - Allows providers to block calls with an invalid caller ID Phone numbers on a do not originate list Invalid numbers Valid numbers that are not allocated to a voice service provider Valid numbers that are allocated but are not assigned to a subscriber 18

19 Future mitigation efforts November 2017 FNPR - seeks further comment on options to mitigate the possibility of blocking desired calls Should there be a formal challenge process for erroneously blocked calls? How should/can the FCC measure the effectiveness of robocalling mitigation efforts New reporting requirements? 19

20 How members can help their subscribers Education is a crucial component to making consumers better aware of existing tools that can protect them from unwanted calls Bill inserts, news letters and local news papers Pass on FTC information and alerts about scams Keep an eye out for the latest services and tools Convince your subscribers to file complaints 20

21 How members can help their subscribers Perform you own investigation and file results Look for low average call duration Look for invalid numbers placing large volumes of calls Look for large bursts of calls in a small time window Look for sequential dialing patterns Look for customer complaints on similar scams Compare numbers dialed with lines on the FTC Do Not Call list Source: AT&T FCC Ex Parte disclosure filed March 6,

22 22