How to shut down robocallers: The STIR/SHAKEN protocol will stop scammers from exploiting a caller ID loophole

Have you ever received a phone call from your own number? If so, you've experienced one of the favorite techniques of phone scammers. · Scammers can "spoof" numbers, making it seem as though the phone call in question is coming from a local number—which can include your own-thereby obscuring the call's true origin. If you answer the call, you'll most likely be treated to the sound of a robotic voice trying to trick you into parting with some money. · One of us (McEachern) is a principal technologist for the standards organization Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and the other (Burger) was until recently the chief technology officer for the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. But you don't need us to tell you that robocalls are a pandemic. According to a report by the caller ID company Hiya, there were 85 billion robocalls globally in 2018.