PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Phone companies were required at the start of the month to implement technology that would limit the number of annoying robocalls we get. According to an expert, this will help but it won't stop the problem for good.
One of the reasons we won't see bogus call volume drop off a cliff is because some cell phone providers have already been using the technology, which is called STIR/SHAKEN. Drexel University computer science professor Brian Stuart said it prevents certain methods scammers use to fake their numbers.
"The caller ID information is encrypted in a way that they just can't make up a new one," he explained.
"It will definitely help the situation, but it's not going to be a magic bullet. It's suddenly not going to turn off all robocalling."
Before, Stuart said, it was extremely easy to have a computer program create a number that looks local or make a call appear as though it was from a reputable source like the IRS. As always, the people on the other end of these calls have a lot to gain, so Stuart said they will continue working hard to beat the system.
"As long as anybody is falling for it, enough that it's worth it to them to set up the infrastructure to do it — and it's fairly cheap infrastructure to set up — then they'll keep at it," he said.
Not all robocalling is bad. Stuart says legitimate organizations with appropriate caller ID origination information, like schools, will still be able to deliver important messages automatically.