Robocalls Versus Technology

Spam phone calls are simply a reality in today’s world. Chances are you’ve answered a phone call to hear a recorded message about your car’s extended warranty or received a threat for not paying taxes to the IRS. Seeing phone numbers that are astonishingly similar to your own is a common occurrence, as are empty voicemails. Unfortunately, we’ve all come to accept this as normal.

That doesn’t mean that spam calls are welcome. At best, they are annoying and disruptive. At worst, they cost real money, whether through lost productivity or phishing scams. One thing’s for certain: we can all agree that the world would be better without spam calls.

How Spam Calling Got to This Point

By some estimates,?around half of all mobile calls in the United States are spam calls. This is made possible by robocalling software. Computers generate and dial phone numbers far more quickly than spammers could manually. Spammers and their machines are simply going through all of the combinations possible to connect with potential targets. This process is so efficient that it pays off, even if only a few of the numbers are in operation and even fewer lead to answered calls. In the game of robocalling, computer power matters more than accuracy.

Another technological feat spammers use is spoofing, which hides the call’s origin. Spammers can similarly generate random numbers to appear on your Caller ID, although many spammers focus on local numbers. After all, if you’re in West Palm Beach, you’re more likely to answer a call from a South Florida number than one from Oregon. Essentially, advances in technology that allow you to keep in your pocket a small computer more powerful than those used to send humans to the moon led to the drastic increase in spam calls.

Spammers seem undeterred, even though their actions are often transparent. They’re adaptable, too. Spammers don’t care if you pick up the phone when they can easily play a recording. That’s part of the reason why voicemail phishing, or vishing, attacks are on the rise. Scammers target potential victims with phishing attacks because they’re low effort. It’s the human element that makes these scams successful and why IT staff cannot forget training along with technological interventions if they want to ensure cyber security.

Furthermore, spammers don’t just focus on phone calls. Spam text messages have become increasingly common over the years. Automated texts have become part and parcel of the modern lifestyle, with everyone from the delivery driver to the same company that provides phone service using this technology. The limitations of text can make it harder to detect scam messages, and included links may lead to phishing sites or download infections to your device.

Responding to the Onslaught of Spam

Spammers are a few steps ahead, which has left phone carriers and makers, consumers, and even governments struggling to combat spam calls. Still, technology can help you in the fight against spam. For example, you can silence and send unknown callers directly to voicemail with your iPhone. If those callers are legitimate, they can leave a message for you to call them back. Apple has also provided an option for users to?integrate third-party caller ID and spam-battling apps into their phones.

Android owners have plenty of options to combat spam, too. For example, you can silence incoming calls from numbers not in your contact list or filter the calls and?report numbers as spam, depending on which developer made the calling app you use. Thanks to this information, you may have seen calls marked as potential spam on your Caller ID. One more innovation in the war on spam is Google’s screening service, which lets you ask the caller for their name and informs them you’re screening the call — all before you even pick up the call.

Over the last couple of years, you may also have noticed a difference in Caller ID features, too. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are among the carriers that successfully implemented the STIR/SHAKEN protocol to stop spam callers. Developed by the FCC, this protocol ensures that consumers see the actual number when receiving a call. Unfortunately, smaller carriers have until 2023 to implement the protocol, so not everyone can benefit from it yet. Still, the?FCC can require small carriers to comply sooner?if they want.

When you consider the number of other solutions, things have improved from a few short years ago. Interventions like these ensure businesses can still contact clients while spammers have difficulty getting through.

How Robocallers Impact Businesses

If your company places calls at high volumes, adding a few seconds to each call or requiring clients to call you back can hinder your communication process. Plus, spoofing means that your number could wind up on a blacklist simply because scammers have used it. Unfortunately, consumers may be more inclined to mark numbers as spam than to report that a number is legitimate, even though it’s also?possible to do so on Android phones.

One of the main issues with spammers is that calling people en-masse is their day job. Those nuisance calls steal precious time that’s already limited. SMBs, especially those that rely on cold calling to offer legitimate services, struggle to stand apart from spammers. Where potential clients may have once entertained a call, they’ve learned to ignore them all because spam has become so common.

Companies that want to succeed in the age of robocallers need technology to beat spammers without losing time. You don’t have to let spam calls ruin your bottom line. Mobile device management software offers one possible solution to block these calls and messages without further decreasing productivity. There may be other solutions you’ve yet to consider.

Book a call today?to learn how your small business in South Florida can overcome robocaller interference.

Erick Solms?is the Founder of?Simplitfy?in West Palm Beach, Florida. Simplitfy provides IT and cybersecurity services to Small and Medium Business in South Florida.?To contact him personally or to inquire about information technology services, please email?[email protected]?or visit?www.simplitfy.com?or use the following link to book a call with him?https://go.simplitfy.com/schedule.