“Robo Calls
are the most significant current threat to humanity.”
This may not be
a completely true statement, but some days you may agree.
According to
the FTC, consumers get “tens-of-billions” of illegal calls annually.
This can lead
to significant distractions for your employees who receive inbound calls. While the FTC and Department of Justice are
ramping up their efforts to prosecute and fine abusers, this has little impact
on calls from outside the USA. Both the
mobile providers and the enterprise SIP carriers have begun to take action to
combat this epidemic with technology-based solutions.
The root of the
problem is these robocallers often alter their Caller-ID at random in order
to deceive you into answering. Many
times they will use a number selected from among your neighbors, increasing the
likelihood you will answer the call.
Technologies such as STIR/SHAKEN will ultimately create a global network
where providers authenticate the source and Caller-ID of the calling party
before you ultimately receive the call.
Until these technologies are more broadly implemented, there are some
steps you can take to reduce your annoyance and the number of robocalls you
receive.
Within your
Enterprise UC system:
Block the
Caller-ID of repeat offenders
While
many of our clients have taken steps to log and block calls using the Caller-ID
of the caller, this can many times block valid calls from your community as
well. Ask our team how you can utilize
“Call Routing” rules in your client software, or the “Mitel Nuisance Call
Handler” to block incoming calls based on Caller-ID.
Configure a
“Transfer to Message” button:
This
will give your users the option to easily transfer a robocaller to a message,
and give them the option to press 1 to leave a voicemail. (Using this option will also allow your team
to periodically run reports looking for repeat calls from the
same numbers which were identified as a robocaller.)
From your mobile
phone:
1. Don’t
answer calls from unknown or restricted numbers
The
majority of robocalls come from randomly-chosen numbers, many times from your
own area-code. Sending these calls to
voicemail allows you to screen these calls.
2. Join
the National Do Not Call Registry
In
theory, signing up for the Do Not Call Registry should protect you from
telemarketers and robocalls. Adding your number to this free government database can somewhat reduce marketing calls to your number. Illegitimate or International robocallers
will still ignore this restriction. http://www.donotcall.gov
3. Use
the blocking services provided by your carrier
While telephone
carriers have generally treated telemarketers and robocallers with kid gloves,
many carriers provide
tools that can help you block known fraud and spam. Each carrier calls this something different, and some services
cost a little extra, but if you’re serious about ending robocalls, this is a
handy defense. AT&T’s “Call Protect,” Verizon’s “Call Filter Free” and
Sprint’s “Premium Caller ID” are all examples of anti-spam services.
4. Block
individual phone numbers
Most
smartphones make it easy to block a number. Once that call comes in, you can
press a button that says “Block this Caller” (iPhone) or “Block/Report Spam”
(Android). You can go through your call log and block the number retroactively
as well or unblock it if you realize you actually want to receive calls from
that number. You can also set “Do Not Disturb” on both iPhone and Android
phones, which will prevent people from calling you at certain times.
5. Use an
app
There are
many well-rated mobile applications which utilize both Artificial Intelligence
and an ever-increasing database of offenders to block calls to your mobile
device. While looking for apps, pay attention to the cost and the reviews to
get the best solution.
