Protect Against Robocalls

It wasn’t that long ago that we only had to worry about those harmless, but very annoying telemarketers calling and bothering us at home or sometimes at work. Since mobile phones had yet to become another appendage, we had those sacred moments where we were unreachable by anyone…telemarketers included.

Of course, now, that has all changed.  And, especially in today’s 24/7 world, the expectation is that you can/must be reached anywhere at any time thanks to the advent of that handy dandy mobile technology. But it’s not only our family, friends, customers, and co-workers that reach out to us at all hours of the day and night thanks to mobile tech, it’s also 21^st century telemarketers. Still annoying, but also much more devious, and often times dangerous.

Even though many safeguards have been put in place to keep you from having to deal with email spam, robocalls are becoming more prevalent than ever; some would call it an epidemic. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) recently released its 2019 Do Not Call Registry Data Book, noting that 71% of complaints are related to robocalls. While carriers have begun to combat this problem, new legislation is also on the way to remove this nuisance.

New House Bill Could End Robocalls

In July of 2019, the House passed a bill, Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, created to, as the name would suggest, stop robocalls. This is what the bill will provide:

• Requirement of carriers to establish call authentication technology which, among other things, would allow consumers to start trusting their caller ID again
• Carriers to offer call-blocking services
• The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to issue rules to protect consumers regarding calls they did not agree to receive
• The FCC to enact safeguards so that companies can’t leverage robocall exemptions
• The FCC to authorize tools to take action against robocallers, extending the statute of limitations
• The FCC must also submit a report to Congress on implementation of reassigned numbers database

Along with the bill, the FCC passed a proposal permitting carriers to be more aggressive in blocking these types of calls.

However, it will still be some time before these new policies are in place, so robocalls still have life.

Many are Harmless…Many are Not

Many robocalls are harmless—a candidate running for office, a reminder from a company you do business with, a follow up to a form you filled out online. But, robocalls can also be scams, where the recording basically threatens the recipient. Many of these calls are purported to come from the “IRS,” which trick people into sending money to someone who is definitely not calling from the IRS. A Social Security robocall scam reportedly has been able to con people out of $17 million in the first part of 2019.

What Are Your Options to Protect Your Business from Robocalls?

Robocalls aren’t just made to personal phones. Businesses get their fair share as well. One solution is to work with a UCaaS (United Communications as a Service) provider that offers a spam protection feature.

When you use an all-in-one business phone and communications system, such as Intermedia Unite^TM, Spam Caller Protection is provided as a free feature. It works by offering companies a sophisticated call detection technology that automatically recognizes robocalls and scammers and provides alerts before the call is even answered. It even blocks those numbers identified as a robocaller or spam.

Key Benefits of Spam Caller Protection

The reality is that your phone system is integral to your employees’ ability to do their jobs well. They don’t need to have constant interruptions associated with robocalls. It could impact productivity or simply make them frustrated. Worse, it can put the security of your organization at risk. With Spam Caller Protection, you will enjoy these benefits:

• Stronger security: The spam caller protection covers all Intermedia Unite end-point devices, including desktop and mobile apps. By doing this, your employees won’t be in the situation of trying to determine if these calls are legitimate, keeping your firm from potential security and/or data breaches. It also eliminates the need for time-consuming local block lists.
• Increased productivity: Your employees shouldn’t have to waste time intercepting scam calls. With the Spam Caller Protection feature, they’ll be able to keep focused on their tasks at hand.

Improved flexibility and control: Administrators have the ability to block, tag, and route all spam calls based on the needs of your company.

Unfortunately, just as technology continues to advance, so too do the methods employed by scammers and cyber criminals. While robocalls may decrease, they aren’t going away all together anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you can’t protect your organization and yourself. Contact us to learn more about taking the threat head on.

The Intermedia Team

Intermedia helps businesses of all sizes connect better – through voice, video conferencing, chat, contact center, business email and productivity, file sharing and backup, security, archiving, and more – from wherever, whenever. And, as a partner-first company, Intermedia goes to work for our channel partners to help them grow their revenue and maximize their success.