Skip to main content

Robocalls are out of control but this could change things

You know all those calls you've been getting on your home and mobile phones telling you you owe money, there's a package that went missing, or maybe you're about to be arrested? Those are dangerous spam calls and, if the majority of US States Attorney Generals are right, many of them are coming through one company: Avid Telecom.

The AP reported on Thursday (May 25, 2023), that 51 Attorneys General filed a 141-page lawsuit against Avid Telecom. Founded in 2001, Avid Telecom offers termination services that allow companies to buy toll-free numbers in bulk and automatically route the calls to the numbers of their choice.

According to the suit, which was filed in the US District Court in Phoenix, Arizona, Avid Telecom used spoofed and invalid caller ID numbers to make billions of calls to those on Do Not Call lists. In other words, the numbers you see on your phone are not the originating caller numbers. More worrisome, though, the suit alleges Avid Telecom made millions of calls designed to look as if they were coming from law enforcement and government agencies. ("Hello, this is the CIA calling...")

So many bad calls (and texts)

The fallout from these calls (and texts) is hard to measure. There were, according to one recent study, 75 billion robocalls and 225 billion robotexts in 2022. Those who receive them or fall for their scammy nature, are usually then connected to someone who is not with the government or law enforcement and is often trying to collect personal and private information: names, addresses, social security numbers, and other personally identifying information that can be used to steal identities.

Sometimes, the call leads to fake support personnel who guide the call recipient to download spyware onto their computer so they can watch their keystrokes and, again, steal their information.

Not us

Avid Telecom, naturally, disputes the suit and complained that the Attorneys Generals had not contacted them before bringing the lawsuit. Neil Ende, a lawyer defending Avid Telecom, told the AP, "The company has never been found by any court or regulatory authority to have transmitted unlawful traffic and it is prepared to meet with the attorneys general, as it has on many occasions in the past, to further demonstrate its good faith and lawful conduct."

On its website, Avid Telecom claims to have "full Stir/Shaken capability and required robocall mitigation in place" even though the services it provides appear perfect-built for robocall operations.

Stir/Shaken is the result of a partnership between the FCC and major telecom companies and provides a framework for identifying and authenticating callers. The problem is that wily spammers are constantly developing workarounds, which is probably why our robocall problem appears to be getting worse and not better.

What to do

The suit, which came about as part of a nationwide-anti-robocall taskforce is unlikely to end our robocall nightmare but if the states win the suit and collect millions (if not more) in fines from Avid Telecom, it may dissuade companies from engaging in these robocall practices.

In the meantime, though, follow these simple tips to avoid getting caught in the robocall and robotext web:

  • Don't answer calls from an unknown number
  • Text messages are not more official than calls. Do not call the number in the message
  • Do not give out your personal information and if someone asks for social security, bank, or credit card info, hang up
  • Unless you've opted in, most government agencies will not send you texts
  • No one who contacts you via email, calls, or texts actually wants to help fix your computer
  • Caller ID can be fooled. Do not assume someone local or official is calling you.
  • Call agencies directly to verify any information.
  • Your bank is not texting you unless you opt-in for alerts
  • Do not respond to texts and calls. Instead, log into your accounts to check for suspicious activity.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windows Copilot leak suggests deeper assimilation with Windows 11 features

Key Windows 11 features may soon be customizable as Microsoft further integrates its Windows Copilot AI assistant into the operating system. This tidbit comes from tech news site Windows Latest , which claims to have discovered new .json (JavaScript Object Notation) files within recent preview builds of Windows 11. These files apparently hint at future upgrades for the desktop AI assistant. For example, a “TaskManagerService-ai-plugin.json” was found which is supposedly a “plugin for Task Manager integration”. If this ever comes out, it could give users the ability to “monitor or close running apps using” Copilot. In total, six are currently tested and they affect various aspects of Windows 11. Next, there is an “AccessbilityTools-ai-plugin.json” that gives Copilot a way to “control accessibility [tools]. This would make it "easier for those with [a] disability to navigate through the system.” Third is “ai-plugin-WindowsSettings.json” for controlling important Windows 11 set...
Post a Comment
Read more

Google Chrome releases security fix for this major flaw, so update now

Google says it has fixed a high-severity flaw in its Chrome browser which is currently being exploited by threat actors in the wild.  In a security advisory , the company described the flaw being abused and urged the users to apply the fix immediately.  "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-2033 exists in the wild," the advisory reads. Automatic updates The zero-day in question is a confusion weakness vulnerability in the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, the company said. Usually, this type of flaw can be used to crash the browser, but in this case it can also be used to run arbitrary code on compromised endpoints.  The flaw was discovered by Clement Lecigne from the Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG). Usually, TAG works on finding flaws abused by nation-states, or state-sponsored threat actors. There is no word on who the threat actors abusing this flaw are, though. Read more > Patch Google Chrome now to fix this emergency security flaw > Emergency...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung's ViewFinity S9 may be the monitor creatives have been searching for

Originally revealed during CES 2023 , Samsung has finally launched its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor after nine long months of waiting.  According to the announcement, the ViewFinity S9 is the company’s first-ever 5K resolution (5,120 x 2880 pixels) IPS display aimed primarily at creatives. IPS stands for in-plane switching , a form of LED tech offering some of the best color output and viewing angles on the market. This quality is highlighted by the fact that the 27-inch screen supports 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut plus delivers 600 nits of brightness.  Altogether, these deliver great picture quality made vibrant by saturated colors and dark shadows. The cherry on top for the ViewFinity S9 is a Matte Display coating to “drastically [reduce] light reflections.”  As a direct rival to the Apple Studio Display , the monitor is an alternative for creative professionals looking for options. It appears Samsung has done its homework as the ViewFinity S9 addresses some of...
Post a Comment
Read more