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Interview with CBS: Basketball fans experience scam through text messages during March Madness craze

CBS Corpus Christi’s Victoria Balderrama reports on the dangers of NCAA March Madness. Balderrama turns to a fraud mitigation expert, Chris Drake, for tips on what to watch out for as the tournament progresses. The SVP of iconectiv warns views to never download a file from a text message sent by an unknown 10-digit number, as they can infect the device with malware. As a precaution, he suggests sports fans freeze their credit and back up their phone.
Mar 15, 2023
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Interview with FOX: Mobile Betting Scams: Sports betting expert shares ways to avoid scams ahead of March Madness

Fox Boston reports on the uptick in scams looking to cash in on the urgency surrounding March Madness betting. Chris Drake, SVP of iconectiv, shares his insight on the topic and warns viewers to be wary of 10-digit numbers, as they are easy to spoof. Other red flags to be on the lookout for include misspelled words, attachments/links or any request to be sent money via an untraceable method, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards or payment apps. Drake recommends that sports fans caught in a scam disengage and report the scam to the FTC or local police.
Mar 15, 2023
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Interview with FOX: March Madness scammers? How to keep yourself safe

FOX Cleveland’s Brad Hamilton seeks input from iconectiv SVP, George Cray, on how scammers are leveraging March Madness to steal personal information. Cray warns that Ohio is a hotspot for scams, as the state can now legally bet on the tournament. He suggests putting a freeze on your credit and reporting scams to the local police.
Mar 14, 2023
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Interview with FOX: March Madness brings the Final Four, and scammers, to Houston

Tom Zizka of FOX Houston warns viewers that March Madness is an opportunity for fraudsters to steal fans’ personal information. Scammers will use the NCAA tournament to craft texts around ticket sales or a betting opportunity in hopes to trick receivers into sharing personal information or clicking malicious links. George Cray, VP at iconectiv, offers insight as a telecom security expert and recommends never trusting these texts with sensitive information or clicking links. Zizka explains that another level of protection comes with messages from 5 or 6-digit numbers. Businesses have registered and undergone a vetting process to obtain these numbers, making them much more trustworthy.
Mar 14, 2023
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Interview with CBS: “They cleared my whole bank account,” Jax woman scammed, experts now warning others about spam texts

Megan Moriarty of CBS Jacksonville shares the story of how Tesa Childs was a victim of number porting fraud. The victim shared that her bank account was emptied, and the scammer had complete access to her phone. Moiarty turns to telecom expert, George Cray, VP of iconectiv, for insight on how viewers can protect themselves. Cray explains that you can never 100% trust a text from an unknow 10-digit number and that 5-6-digit short codes are more reliable.
Mar 8, 2023
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VanillaPlus Magazine Issue 1 2023: Are we nearly there yet?

In VanillaPlus Magazine, iconectiv shares an expert deep dive into origin-based rating. Over the past several years, network service providers have been feeling increased pressure to find new income streams to offset shrinking voice and data revenues, as well as margins. Origin-based rating is an untapped income opportunity that lies in how network service providers operate their business – specifically in relation to how they charge for terminating calls.
Feb 21, 2023
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Interview with FOX: Experts remind people to watch out for tax scams

Joshua Oculam of FOX Scranton cautions viewers of tax scams ramping up before April. iconectiv CTO, Chris Drake, provides expert insight on ways to keep viewers and their information safe. Drake explains that the IRS will contact Americans by notices in the mail, not by text or email. If a suspicious looking message is received, Drake warns to never click the link and to freeze your credit.
Feb 17, 2023

Press Releases

Media Contact:
Sharon Oddy
Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications
+1 732 699-5130
soddy@iconectiv.com

press release

¿Tendrán un impacto negativo sobre los negocios los esfuerzos por bloquear las llamadas automáticas ilegales?

Como las llamadas automáticas ilegales representan casi la mitad de las llamadas indeseadas en 2019, el nuevo manejo basado en firmas de información confirmada mediante toKENs (SHAKEN) está ayudando a recuperar la confianza del consumidor y confiar en que EE.UU. está mitigando el impacto de los delincuentes. Sin embargo, como las llamadas internacionales también pasaran por el servicio SHAKEN, los proveedores de servicios extranjeros deberán comprender muy bien el proceso para garantizar que sus llamadas sean correctamente autenticadas y verificadas, y no inadvertidamente bloqueadas por desconfiar en la información de autenticación o falta de autenticación.
Mar 27, 2020
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Removing the Risk That Could Impede Adoption of Rich Business Messaging

Rich Business Messaging, powered by Rich Communication Services (RCS), is poised to be the new wave of messaging technology offering enhanced features like read receipts, video, group chat and paying for services. In order for it to live up to its potential, service providers and businesses must provide consumers with the information they need to verify the authenticity of Rich Business Messaging chatbots and the conversations they represent.
Mar 24, 2020
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As Caller ID Spoofing and Illegal Robocalls Skyrocket, Regulators, Service Providers Can Restore Trust in Caller ID

As a trusted partner in the global communications ecosystem, iconectiv is helping to address this growing, global problem with the launch of TruReach Certify. TruReach Certify is the foundation that helps ensure only legitimate and trusted entities can participate in the STIR/SHAKEN Caller ID ecosystem. It helps service providers authenticate caller IDs from law-abiding subscribers and businesses so consumers can trust caller ID information.
Feb 19, 2020
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Strategizing to Mitigate the Misuse of Telecom Networks

Shaping the future of trusted communications and a debate about upcoming technologies and trends await visitors at ITEXPO 2020, which takes place February 11-14 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Experts from iconectiv will be taking the stage, focusing on strategies for the reduction of robo-driven spam calling and the best ways to maximize the potential of VoIP. Spam calls with spoofed caller IDs have reached unprecedented levels in the U.S.—to the point where many people simply refuse to answer their phones. These calls are easily the biggest segment of consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the number continues to climb, with billions of robocalls reported every month. Helping to restore trust in communications is a key priority for the industry as a whole—as well as a critical focus for iconectiv.
Feb 6, 2020
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Ensuring Accurate Routing of Calls for Hard of Hearing, those Requiring Speech Communication Assistance

More than 44 million U.S. adults currently have hearing loss and the amount is increasing faster than the population growth rate. As the new provider of the Telecommunications Relay Services Numbering Directory for Internet-based TRS (iTRS) in the U.S., iconectiv is helping to ensure that people with hearing and speech impairments can continue to rely on landline and mobile phones to communicate.
Dec 9, 2019
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Consumers pick up the phone when they have trusted information about the businesses calling them

Currently, over 75% of calls are left unanswered when the call comes from an unidentified or unfamiliar number. This is due to the spike in illegal robocalls, which reached 85 billion globally in 2018 – a 325% jump from 2017. The new ATIS-SIP Forum Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs (SHAKEN) framework will help mitigate illegal robocalls so that consumers can once again trust the calling number displayed on their caller ID.
Dec 4, 2019
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Answering the Call: Industry to Share Expertise at SIPNOC 2019

With the industry firmly focused on radically reducing illegal robocalls, experts will gather at SIPNOC 2019 on December 3 to further address this critical issue. With 76% of all unidentified phone calls left unanswered, consumers and enterprises are looking to service providers to ensure that legitimate businesses are getting their calls answered by consumers. As policy administrator for the Calling Number Verification Service and a provider of trusted communications solutions, iconectiv has key speakers at the event including Gary Richenaker, Principal Solutions Architect, and Mary Barnes, Senior Advisor, Industry Solutions.
Nov 19, 2019