In a sly move that will put robocallers and roboscammers behind the 8-ball, AT&T and TransUnion will now put a brand name and a logo of a business’ name on a customer's screen the moment the phone rings.
From now on, any call that comes in gets a simple verification from the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN standards that the call is not spoofed. That means no more curiosity-killed-the-cat dangers for people who’ll answer any call that comes into their phone or missing important calls because they don’t trust a number they don’t recognize.
“We’re obsessed with giving our customers secure and trusted calls, so we’re excited to work with TransUnion for a richer, more helpful visual experience,” said Erin Scarborough, AT&T senior vice president of Mass Markets Product Management.
“And since we use STIR/SHAKEN verification, our customers will be able to connect with greater confidence to the brands they may want or need to connect with.”
What you have to do to get this feature
If you’re an AT&T customer, you don’t have to lift a finger. This new feature will be added to your service automatically and with no app to download.
The logos of businesses who subscribe to the service appear on Android devices when the phone rings, as well as in the call details page after a missed call. Alternatively, for iPhone users, if you unlock or enable facial recognition on other operating systems, the logo of the business appears.
Will this end spoofing altogether?
AT&T and TransUnion’s feature will send call spoofers scrambling, but they’re not likely going to give in. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), spoofers will no doubt try to find a way to put a brand sticker on their calls, too.
The only thing available now that can add an extra hoop for spoofers to jump through is common sense. The moment a caller asks you for your credit card number, your bank account number, to buy them some gift cards, use your noggin and hang up.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-01-30 14:45:13
