Insights

Call Authentication, Robocalling Prevention and More Take Center Stage at the 2022 Telecom Fraud Symposium

Jun 27, 2022

On June 16, 2022, at the 2022 Telecom Fraud Symposium (formally known as the Toll-Free Traffic Pumping & Fraud Workshop), leading industry experts converged to explore the hottest topics in fraud prevention, call authentication and more. From regulatory mandates that help to mitigate illegal robocalls, to innovative solutions such as RealNumber DNO (Do Not Originate) and the Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) that are proactively combatting fraud, the event offered a wide range of exciting, educational and future-focused conversations.

The symposium opened with a Regulatory Landscape Presentation by Philip Macres, Principal at Klein Law Group PLLC. During his session, Philip provided an update on efforts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to combat illegal robocalling and spoofing. From the status of the FCC’s 8YY switched access charges proceeding to the recent mandate requiring international Gateway Providers to reference a “reasonable” Do Not Originate (DNO) list when routing calls, Philip’s presentation offered valuable insight into the FCC’s approach towards stopping robocalls.

Next, the workshop went globe-trotting for an international perspective. During the Fireside Chat session, Dave Stewart, SVP & Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) at Somos and Eli Katz, CEO at XConnect, A Somos Company, spoke to how international carriers view the U.S. market as well as how shifting U.S. policies and procedures – including the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN – are affecting the rest of the world. Like Philip, Eli also touched on how the FCC’s recently updated guidelines were impacting international Gateway Providers.

The symposium next turned back stateside for an Impersonation Fraud Panel Discussion. The conversation kicked off with a review of Somos’ Fraud Program aimed at shutting down Toll-Free Numbers used in impersonation scams. Moderated by Catherine Palcic, Manager, Corporate Risk & Compliance at Somos, the panel featured the following leading industry experts:

Throughout the conversation, the panelists opined on the different ways we can work collaboratively to rebuild trust in telephony. From some of the actions and the steps that the FTC are taking to address COVID-related scammers to strategies that service providers can implement to squash fraud, the session offered valuable insight into what can be done to help protect consumers.

The next session gave an insider’s view into the act of traffic pumping and how bad actors, through multiple hops and carriers, are meticulously masking their origination points – thus making call tracing arduous and complicated. During the Traceback Panel, industry leading fraud fighters had a meaningful conversation around what can be done to restore trust and maintain the integrity of our valued phone number assets.

After a short break, Catherine Palcic once again took the stage to present a Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) Solution Review.  For her session, Catherine discussed how, in addition to offering a comprehensive resource for identifying permanently disconnected numbers, the RND also helps to support regulatory compliance by potentially preventing Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) liabilities and avoiding costly Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) violations.

During the next session – an Enforcement Presentation – Joel Bernstein, VP, Regulatory & Public Policy at Somos, was joined by Kristi Thompson Chief, Telecom Consumers Division Enforcement Bureau at the FCC and Tracy Nayer, Special Deputy Attorney General at the North Carolina Department of Justice – Consumer Protection Division, for an exciting regulatory roundup. During the moderated conversation, the group covered a broad range of topics including:

• How the FCC has teamed up with the N.C. Attorney General’s office to fight robocalls
• How the FCC determines whether a Gateway Provider should have certain network traffic blocked 
• Whether or not text messaging is subject to the same set of laws that govern phone robocalls and scams

For the last session of the day, Somos’ Bill LaRuffa Director, Business Development, and Kyle Belcher, Senior Product Manager, teamed up with Josh Bercu Executive Director, at USTelecom, and Jonathan Nelson Director, Product Management at Hiya, for a conversation that offered insight both into how Somos’ RealNumber DNO solution can help Gateway Providers and U.S.-based operators identify calls that originate from invalid, unallocated and/or unused numbers as well as shared Hiya’s RealNumber DNO story – including their implementation experience as well as value Hiya has subsequently achieved.

After closing remarks from Joel, the 2022 Telecom Fraud Symposium wrapped up with a reminder of something that we can all agree upon….

Whether you’re looking to help further the fight against fraud, learn more about solutions that can be leveraged to mitigate illegal activity or otherwise, we encourage you to check out the following on-demand video resources:

• 2022 Telecom Fraud Symposium On-Demand Recording*
• Protect the Integrity of Your Network with RealNumber® DNO
• Unpacking the Reassigned Numbers Database from the Professional Association for Customer Engagement (PACE) Washington Summit

*Please note that this video is located in the Somos Portal Website and that a valid Resp Org Login ID is required to gain access to portal. If you are not able to access the Somos Portal Website, please reach out to your Resp Org's Primary Contact and/or Company Administrator(s) for further assistance.      



If you are not a Resp Org and wish to access the on-demand recording, please email regulatory@somos.com for access.