STIR/SHAKEN is not working. Here's an easy solution.

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Nevada County
Posts:8
Joined:Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:43 pm
STIR/SHAKEN is not working. Here's an easy solution.

Post by Nevada County » Wed Aug 11, 2021 3:31 pm

Agreed that the number of spam/spoofed numbers getting through is OVERWHELMING. At home we now just look at the number after it rings and if it's a nearby city that we know no one we know that it is a spam.
A solution could EASILY BE ESTABLISHED by Ooma. It would work just like the Sentry call blocker by asking the caller to push 0 to be let into the home phone system if they are not on their contact list. Robocallers are not going to do that because they are a machine, waiting for someone to pick up. Come on Ooma. HELP US STOP THE SCOURGE OF SPAM! STIR/SHAKEN IS NOT WORKING!


Robek
Posts:234
Joined:Thu Sep 26, 2019 6:56 pm

Re: STIR/SHAKEN is not working. Here's an easy solution.

Post by Robek » Thu Aug 12, 2021 11:21 am

STIR/SHAKEN and related protocols primarily address Caller ID spoofing, not spam blocking. And providers are still working to fully implement what they need to, to meet future deadlines. Declaring it dead already seems a bit premature.

This "press '0' to continue" option behaves a lot like Contacts-only calling, except that unknown callers can add themselves to a user's whitelist. But it can also block legitimate calls, such as fraud/security alerts, multi-factor authentication, or appointment reminders, without the option to even send those to voicemail.

What seems like an easy solution could be technically difficult to implement. Unlike the other call blocking options, it would require the ability to recognize touch-tones, and to re-route calls that are already in progress. Could Ooma do that without requiring a Telo hardware update? If not, then how many users would be willing to buy a new Telo to replace their old one? How would that affect users in grandfathered plans?

Or, Ooma could create a separate device to plug in-line between the Telo and handset, similar to this other third party device, but how would that handle DECT devices, like the Linx or HD3?

In the meantime, the closest available option would be to enable Contacts-only calling, route blocked calls to voicemail, and then decide from that whom to whitelist.

Nevada County
Posts:8
Joined:Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:43 pm

Re: STIR/SHAKEN is not working. Here's an easy solution.

Post by Nevada County » Thu Aug 12, 2021 12:26 pm

"But it can also block legitimate calls, such as fraud/security alerts, multi-factor authentication, or appointment reminders, without the option to even send those to voicemail."
I don't use my 'landline' for any of those things. Texts and emails do the job for me. My utilities, doctors, banks, and credit card companies all offer texts and email reminders.
Ooma could and should make 'push 0 to talk to us' an option. I'd be first in line...

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