Chelsey Krull’s Post

The value of authoritative number ownership and control. My prediction in 2024. There is no doubt the rapid growth of technology and implementation of digital Identity will continue. During my many visits to Washington DC last year and in this coming week, this it at the front and center of our conversations and actions that are being taken at regulatory and non-regulatory levels to ensure implementation and enforcement. Phone number sevrice providers, #contactcenters, and #enterprises, if Authoritative ownership and control of your numbering assets are not one of the highest priorities this year, they should be. The industry is in the situation we are in because end user of phone numbers are usually not identified and verified, thus the bad actors continue to enjoy the playground they have access to. It is known that “fraudulent” fraud/spam tagging and the delivery of fraudulent CNAM and brand identity is what our current industry landscape has come to, and change is in the making. As a 35 year veteran in the telecom industry, my prediction is that soon, authoritative ownership and control of your phone numbers will make our consumer calls something they look forward to answering again! This will not only be mandated, but it will be enforced, additionally, those who master this will not only benefit themselves, but their prospects and customers will as well. 

"2024: The year we dial up the game! 💼 Embracing authoritative ownership and control of phone numbers isn't just a regulatory move, it's the secret sauce to transform consumer calls from a spam-filled guessing game into an anticipated connection. 🚀 Let's hang up on fraudulent practices and ring in a new era where every call is a conversation worth having. 📞 #PhoneNumberRevolution #AuthenticConnections"

"The cache includes the numbers called or texted by more than 100 million customers between May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, as well as one day in January 2023. It contains the numbers themselves, the frequency and combined durations of the interactions, but not the customer names or the content of those communications, AT&T said." Since most numbers can be tied to real names, such records illuminate who is close to whom. That would provide a road map for criminals who could impersonate a friend or relative to trick a victim. Here is what AT&T customers should know about the hack: https://lnkd.in/eJFdAZfq

Here is why the AT&T Data Breach Matters to You. 👇 Upwards of 100 Million customer call and text records were stolen. No names, addresses, social security numbers, or billing details were in the stolen data, so does it matter if someone knows who I call? Yes. Yes, it does. Here’s why… If I know who you are calling and how long you are talking, I can start piecing together a lot more. I can filter by calls made to a specific bank, then further to ‘calls over 30 minutes’. I now have a list of people who are having issues with their banking accounts. I can then text them and convince them that I’m helping them solve their problems. Will it matter to 100 Million people? No. Figure in AI’s ability to synthesize data, and we are poised for much more sophisticated scams over the next few years. What’s done is done. What should AT&T do to make things right? #databreach #cyberattack #att #scam #phonescam #cybershorts #crisisshorts

Internet fraud has become more prevalent, with people needing to deploy stringent measures to differentiate between genuine users and bots. Get this #tech executives insights on how to proceed and what the future holds.

So many businesses rely on ID verification as part of their KYC process, some simply have to (per regulatory reasons) and some are doing it to enhance security for their users. In today's world, it couldn't be easier to get a fake, AI-generated ID and if we don't accept this new reality, fraudsters will leave us in the dust. Simply verifying a user's ID is not enough. We need to invest in behavioral analysis of the users, and identify spikes in suspicious activity before we even attempt to verify an ID. The question becomes not just, "Can this user support their identity by providing us with compelling ID evidence," but rather, "Would we trust this person, regardless if they are able to provide an ID?" https://lnkd.in/egySqE2w

Unique insights into how phone-SMS-fraud with the goal of extracting banking credentials form people works are shown in Swedish television SVT's Uppdrag Granskning (in Swedish). A hacker had hacked a group of cyber criminal's devices - and documented how they target elderly citizens with cover stories, then access their banking credentials and use them to rob the bank accounts. Video footage from the criminals' own cameras was leaked to the journalists. These social engineering attacks are organized in very advanced ways, impersonating the bank, the BankID organization, and the shop and logistics organizations. The documentary shows even a manuscript used for impersonating BankID customer support. Citizens are scared with financial loss, then redirected to "customer service", where they get bombarded with meaningless technological details until they give away access to their accounts to the criminal "customer service" agents. How can we fight such advanced social engineering attacks? Known countermeasures are the delay of transactions, additional confirmation channels via SMS or mobile apps, biometric authentication modes and extra authenticators - however it is unlikely that the elderly and technology-distant victim group will relate to these. https://lnkd.in/dTXz2U_p #fraud #socialengineering #cybercriminals #documentary #bankid #Sweden #norway #leak #undercoverjournalism #identitymanagement #robbery

"U.S. #phone giant AT&T confirmed Friday [12th of July 2024] it will begin notifying millions of #consumers about a fresh #data #breach that allowed #cybercriminals to steal the #phone #records of “nearly all” of its #customers, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. In a statement, AT&T said that the stolen data contains phone numbers of both #cellular and #landline customers, as well as AT&T records of #calls and #text #messages (...) during a six-month period between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022. (...) The stolen data also includes call records of customers with phone #service from other #cell #carriers that rely on AT&T’s network (...). AT&T said the stolen data “does not contain the #content of calls or texts,” but does include calling and texting records that an AT&T phone number interacted with during the six-month period, as well as the total count of a customer’s calls and texts, and call durations — information that is often referred to as #metadata. The stolen data does not include the #time or #date or #calls or texts, AT&T said." So, the thieves didn't get away with the whole car, but left the hubcaps behind - whoa.... that is huge. FYI Dr. Augustine Fou

Biometric online verification. This is the way forward and most firms do adopt this method of verifying clients. To me, it’s a no brainier, as fraudsters are super clever these days, and can create exceptionally excellent fraudulent documents, which I would struggle to identify. With biometric verification, we don’t have to worry about this. It’s safer, easier, more secure and all round great to use. We get excellent feedback from client. https://lnkd.in/eM6zqSvH

Ever wonder what’s behind the “scam possible” or “scam likely” popping up on mobile phones across the US? Well, it’s our Number Risk (formerly NumeriRisk) service which accurately provides insight into the current scam call risk of calling numbers for North America. Number Risk is powered by advanced algorithms that, for each call, determine if it has the potential to be fraudulent, revolutionizing the fight against robocalls by delivering:     🔒 Real-time risk assessment: Stay ahead of fraudsters with instant risk analysis.  🔍 Anomaly detection: Identify unusual patterns and activities before they become threats.  📊 Predictive analytics: Anticipate fraud trends and proactively safeguard your network.    Learn more about how Number Risk can protect our mobile world: https://lnkd.in/eqrX2Heg #FraudPrevention #RiskAssessment #NetoworkProtection #netnumber