Fighting crime: Coalition calls for caller ID authentication solution for non-IP providers

To combat criminals’ exploitation of non-Internet Protocol (IP) networks and bolster the efficacy of STIR/SHAKEN, America’s Credit Unions and a group of financial trade organizations are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to have non-IP providers transition to IP within one year.  

“Over the past two years, we have sounded the alarm regarding the increasing incidence of impersonation of legitimate companies, often accompanied by illegal ‘spoofing’ of the number used in the caller ID – i.e., to cause a call recipient’s caller ID to display the name, or solely the number, of a legitimate company instead of the name and number of the actual caller, who typically seeks to defraud the recipient,” wrote the group. “Illegally spoofed calls continue to harm consumers and undermine businesses’ ability to communicate with their customers.”

The organizations acknowledged that passage and implementation of the TRACED Act has helped limit criminal access to the calling network by requiring voice service providers to implement the “STIR/SHAKEN” call authentication framework.  

However, this only works over IP networks. The group further urged the FCC to require voice service providers to implement caller ID authentication solutions on non-IP networks as well during the interim period before all non-IP providers transition to IP.

Read the full letter. America’s Credit Unions’ ongoing advocacy on behalf of credit unions helps ensure they can appropriately contact their members and that proper measures are taken to avoid fraud and scams.