Spam calls, also known as “scam calls,” have become an infuriating part of our lives. By now, most people are familiar with the scammers who pretend to be government officials or Amazon employees to try to trick you out of cash.
“We still get a lot of spam calls,” said Pradeep Selvaraj, an IT expert in Whitby, Ontario, who posted about the problem on his YouTube channel.
Sarvaraj estimates he receives two to three calls per week from scammers. I often get phone calls while I’m at work. They claim to be from “CRA, RCMP, Duct Cleaning, Amazon, UPS Shipping and the list goes on.” “Very annoying.”
With the introduction of a new technology called STIR/SHAKEN by Canadian telecommunications regulator CRTC in late 2021, many hoped that such calls would go away. This allows carriers to detect calls that use spoofed or altered phone numbers to disguise their true identity.
However, STIR/SHAKEN was never intended to be anything more than a partial solution, and after about 18 months it is still not fully implemented. These are some of the reasons why scam calls won’t go away anytime soon.
“To be honest, this is a global problem … there is no silver bullet,” said Alain Garneau, CRTC executive director of telecommunications. “But I think with all the work we’ve been doing, we can reduce the number of spam calls like this.”
Almost two years after Canada’s Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission and major telecommunications companies promised change, phone scammers are finding new ways to continue defrauding Canadians of millions of dollars. ing.
The CRTC has mandated that carriers begin using STIR/SHAKEN in November 2021. “STIR/SHAKEN will undoubtedly help reduce spoofing and help Canadians regain confidence when answering the phone,” said then-CRTC Chairman Ian Scott. in the statement.
However, this technology does not stop spoofed calls. Instead, carriers will be able to identify calls and flag them as “potential fraud” or “potential spam.” Whether or not you take it is still up to you.
Also, STIR/SHAKEN only works for end-to-end calls on upgraded phone networks that use Internet-based systems. Telephone companies are still upgrading their networks to these systems. So currently, some calls will send an alert and others will not.
“STIR/SHAKEN will become more effective over time,” said CRTC spokeswoman Valerie LaVallée in an email.
It was not possible to say what percentage of calls the technology currently covers.
CBC News reached out to three telecom giants for data.
Rogers did not disclose the number, but said most of the calls on the company’s network were Internet-based.
Bell said in an email that the number of calls on its network that STIR/SHAKEN can inspect “continues to increase over time.” Tellus didn’t react.
Purchasing a local number
As with any crime-fighting technology, another hurdle is that fraudsters will eventually get caught.
“These scammers have financial motives and motives,” said Toronto-based technology and cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak. “They are investing in research and development and finding ways to circumvent the system.”
He said scammers can avoid STIR/SHAKEN by purchasing a legitimate Canadian phone number to make calls from anywhere in the world.
“It’s very easy to get a local phone number. There are apps available,” he said. “You don’t need to verify your location when you buy a number. All you really need is a credit card.”
Garneau said the CRTC can’t stop scammers from calling from valid phone numbers, but some Canadian telecom companies are fighting scammers head-on with their own technology.
for example Developed by Bell An artificial intelligence program that can detect many robocalls originating from a single number.
“That’s how they stop real fraud,” Garneau said.
Telus and Rogers told CBC News they also have a program in place for customers to detect and block spam calls.
financial burden
Despite the steps taken to combat phone fraud, people still fall victim to it.
According to the Canadian Center for Fraud Prevention, 1,973 people lost a total of $20.6 million to phone fraud in the first three months of this year.Real numbers could be higher as not all victims Report your case to the center.
Along with new technology, education is key to curbing this type of fraud, Kotak said.
“As long as we keep calling, the scammers will be there,” he said. “It is therefore very important to educate the public about what fraud calls are.”
Mr. Selvaraj agrees.That’s why He recently recorded and posted a scam call on his YouTube channel. In the phone call, the scammers tried to convince Mr. Selvaraj that his mysterious $1,534 had been charged to his Amazon account. He called the scammer, but hung up immediately.
Since Selvaraj’s channel caters to newcomers to the Tamil community, he hopes the video will warn them about what to watch out for.
“It’s important to spread this awareness,” he said.
“I have lived in Canada for the last ten years.Sometimes even I find it difficult to determine if a phone call is legitimate.”
