To help Put an End to ‘Annoying’ Robocalls, the FCC has Implemented a New Caller ID Authentication Standard

Those irritating robocalls about the auto warranty you didn’t have may be coming to an end.

Starting Tuesday, wireless phone providers in the United States must implement STIR/SHAKEN, an industry-standard caller ID authentication technology that “helps protect consumers against malicious spoofed robocalls and helps law enforcement track, bad actors,” according to a press release from the Federal Communications Commission.

According to the press release, the technology allows calls to be “signed” as legitimate as they go via phone networks and then validated by other carriers before reaching customers.

CBS News says if wireless carriers do not obey the commission’s rules, they may face penalties.

According to Acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC law is intended to prevent phone frauds, which can lead to consumers handing over huge quantities of money.

She told CBS News, “What that means is when a call is being made, a carrier can tell that it really is the person who they say they are on the line.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission, these scams can often dupe people into handing over their life savings over the course of a short phone call. A caller pretending to be law enforcement or a representative from a federal agency may attempt to terrify the person on the other end of the telephone by threatening arrest or deportation if they do not pay a debt.

Another scam involves a con artist claiming to have won a prize, such as a lottery. However, to claim the prize, the intended recipient must first send money.

Debt relief, charity, and credit repair scams, as well as the “extended car warranty” fraud, which encourages consumers to sign overpriced service contracts, are all examples of these schemes.

According to YouMail, a robocall index, the United States alone received 22 billion robocalls in 2021.

“Oh my gosh, they’re so annoying,” Rosenworcel told CBS News of the calls. “We want to stop robocalls and make it easier for consumers to safely answer the phone.”