Scammers, Spammers, and Robocallers…Oh My! 

Imagine your phone is ringing; you naturally look down and check the caller ID.  As you check the number, you realize you don’t recognize it. But you do recognize the area code and the prefix.  You then assume the phone call is from a trusted source and answer the call. Instead of someone you trust, you are greeted by a robocall. Or, even worse, a scammer.  This falsifying of information sent to your caller ID is called spoofing. And unfortunately, this scenario is all too common for Americans. 

These nefarious scammers can spoof legitimate business phone numbers as well as non-business-related phone numbers. Receiving phone calls from spoof numbers has become a regular occurrence not only for people on their personal phone lines but business owners and employees on business phone lines as well.

In fact, according to PRNewswire, businesses, and households received over 49 billion robocalls in 2020. While spammers, scammers, and robocallers can be an annoyance to the average American, these calls can be especially damaging to businesses. Spam calls are business disruptors that can affect customer relations and employee productivity. 

With phone lines tied up in spam calls, employees are unable to provide the customer service expected of them. This can create a longer-than-expected wait time for customers and have a negative impact on businesses. However, there is hope. In this article, you will read a STIR/SHAKEN overview that will help you understand why this new communications regulation is so important.

STIR/SHAKEN Overview

To help combat these robocallers, scammers, and spammers, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has created a set of industry-standard regulations called STIR/SHAKEN. STIR/SHAKEN is an acronym. STIR stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited. And SHAKEN stands for Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENS. According to the FCC: 

“This means that calls traveling through interconnected phone networks would have their caller ID “signed” as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by other carriers before reaching consumers. STIR/SHAKEN digitally validates the handoff of phone calls passing through the complex web of networks, allowing the phone company of the consumer receiving the call to verify that a call is in fact from the number displayed on Caller ID.” 

Implementing STIR/SHAKEN protocols will stop the robocallers from spoofing, allowing American households and businesses to answer their phone with confidence. Not only does STIR/SHAKEN help businesses by ending incoming spam calls, but these regulations also help businesses keep their outgoing calls safe as well. As stated earlier, the SHAKEN aspect of these regulations requires a “signature” proving the phone call is legitimate before it reaches consumers. When business owners use an FCC compliant product, their phone calls won’t be tagged as spam. This gives their customers confidence when answering their phone calls. Your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider supplies the SHAKEN signature for business phone calls.

Forward Thinking Provider

NUSO is a telecommunications company that designs its solutions with end-users in mind. In fact, NUSO has led the way with incorporating network modifications for STIR/SHAKEN compliance. When looking for a Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) to offer your customers, you need to consider features that are most beneficial for them.  Providing a solution that is compliant with FCC regulations along with the security that comes with a STIR/SHAKEN overview of the platform should be a top priority for you. As these things are very important to your customers.  

As one of the top CPaaS platform providers, NUSO takes pride in offering what your customers need and want. NUSO’s easy-to-use CPaaS platform that offers security and flexibility is just the solution your customers are looking for. 

Create a trusting relationship with your clients by adding NUSO’s STIR/SHAKEN compliant CPaaS platform to your offerings today. Call NUSO at 1-844-438-NUSO.