DALLAS, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
What's the news? AT&T*, a leader in the fight
against robocalls, has ramped up its spam-swatting to more than a
billion calls per month. Fraud calls are blocked from reaching your
phone, and suspected spam is labeled so you can choose to answer or
not.
AT&T's approach works for business and consumer lines –
wired or wireless. We're on track to double last year's
numbers because of our triple-barreled protection:
- AT&T Call Protect gives wireless customers automatic fraud
blocking and suspected spam alerts.
- Our global fraud team runs an additional program that blocks
fraud calls to every type of AT&T phone service.
- STIR/SHAKEN, a new call authentication technology, is now
boosting both programs with extra data for detection and
accuracy.
It's all part of AT&T ActiveArmorSM, our
combination of 24/7 network protection, built-in security
technology and additional security apps that help safeguard your
devices and data.
Tell me more about STIR/SHAKEN
STIR/SHAKEN is a protocol that confirms Caller ID is not being
illegally spoofed. It works across "Internet Protocol" networks
like VoIP landlines and most wireless phones. It's a key step
toward giving customers greater confidence and control over the
calls they receive.
We are authenticating and verifying hundreds of millions of
calls per day, including calls across our own wireless network and
calls exchanged with the two other leading US wireless providers.
We're also using data from STIR/SHAKEN to help us achieve high
accuracy in our blocking and labeling.
As a customer, what do I have to do?
Wireless customers don't have to do a thing to get AT&T Call
Protect blocking and labeling. It's built in the network at no
extra cost. If they like, they can download the free AT&T Call
Protect app to customize their settings.1
All customers benefit from our fraud team's extra blocking
program and the STIR/SHAKEN data that feeds into it.
AT&T Phone digital home phone users can opt into Digital
Phone Call Protect, which is similar to AT&T Call Protect. Just
go to your account settings on myAT&T and turn it on.
It's just another day's work for AT&T
ActiveArmorSM.
What are people saying?
"With AT&T ActiveArmorSM, we detect and prevent
security issues with multiple layers of protection," said
Jenifer Robertson, chief customer
officer, AT&T Consumer. "Our robocall efforts are a prime
example."
"Our ultimate goal is to be able to report fewer blocked
calls, as an indication that fewer illegal calls are being sent,"
Robertson said. "We'll continue to work with law enforcement and
the Industry Traceback Group to trace illegal calls back to the
source."
We counted at least seven federal enforcement actions against
phone scammers in 2020 resulting from evidence gathered by
AT&T. Our work through the traceback group helped the FCC to
propose a record $225
million fine for a spoofed caller ID campaign to sell
health insurance.
*About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways
every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video
streaming, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. AT&T
Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). For more
information, please visit us at att.com.
1 Automatic fraud blocking and spam labeling
requires AT&T HD Voice-enabled Android or iOS smartphones.
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SOURCE AT&T Communications