T-Mobile said Thursday that it is once again moving to deal with scammers’ automated calls, repackaging several features it has had implemented for a time as a program it calls Scam Shield. It includes free caller ID and call blocking, free enhanced caller ID to let people know when a call number is verified, and a second free “proxy” number to filter out fraudulent calls coming to personal phone lines.
The power number can be shared among members of a family plan. Customers can also change their phone numbers for free if they are inundated with spam calls. Scam Shield will be available to all T-Mobile, Metro and Sprint customers. The new protections can be activated through a free Scam Shield app that will be available on July 24.
Former Sprint customers and current T-Mobile customers who have been paying a monthly fee for Caller ID will now receive it for free. The caller ID displays a “scam likely” warning when a suspicious scam call is received.
T-Mobile claims that it has been a leader in implementing the SHAKEN / STIR system between networks that can verify that incoming calls come from real people rather than robots. But the company’s CEO Mike Sievert said that customers will have to put a little effort into the Scam Shield app if they want to get the most protection from the incessant barrage of spam calls that we all continue to receive.
Sievert said in a webcast announcing the show that fighting the scams is “a total arms race.” As long as money is available, scammers will continue to invent new ways to attack him, and we will invent new ways to stop them. ” He added that the program, which includes features the company has implemented for a while, is a “failure” for T-Mobile’s competitors, with the goal of putting STIR / SHAKEN in the limelight for the industry to claim. take more seriously.
According to T-Mobile, scams and spam calls are the top complaint to the Federal Communications Commission that costs Americans more than $ 1 billion a year. And if people can’t detect your calls, they may miss calls from contact trackers that help with efforts to track the spread of the new coronavirus.
The company also said in the call that it is ahead of its timeline for implementing 5G deployment.
