Blog » First Orion’s INFORM® PAIRED Uses Call Authentication to Combat Brand Spoofing

July 19, 2023

First Orion’s INFORM® PAIRED Uses Call Authentication to Combat Brand Spoofing

First Orion’s INFORM® PAIRED Uses Call Authentication to Combat Brand Spoofing

Even savvy consumers are sometimes deceived by call spoofing. They see a familiar area code or caller ID and assume it is safe to answer, but this false sense of security can be costly. Unethical callers may be running scams on the other end of the line. 

Call spoofing has long been a primary tool for robocallers and a major headache for consumers, but new technology may finally put an end to this illegal practice. First Orion recently developed an out-of-band call authentication solution called INFORM® PAIRED that aims to reduce brand spoofing to almost 0%.

What is Brand Spoofing?

Brand spoofing is a popular strategy used by scammers to target brands through fraudulent phone calls, text messages, and emails. Their goal is to gather sensitive information about companies and individual consumers. They often use the company’s logo or refer to current and former employees to make themselves appear legitimate. As a result, they deceive consumers and company employees into providing financial and personal information, which the scammers then exploit.

For example, a call recipient might unknowingly provide their banking information if they believe they are paying a utility bill or credit card balance. Similarly, company employees might share client information if they think the caller is from a trusted business partner.

Risks of Brand Spoofing

Brand spoofing can have serious consequences for its victims, leaving them vulnerable to financial crimes. For instance, someone may receive an email reminding them to pay their credit card bill. They click on the link and are taken to a website that looks legitimate but is actually fake. Unbeknownst to them, their identity is stolen and their finances are drained after providing their credit or debit card information. 

Your company also suffers from these actions. Consumers tend to blame their negative experiences on legitimate businesses rather than just the scammers. Research shows that 61% of consumers would lose trust in a brand that gave their information to a spoofed website. Fifty-seven percent would stop spending money with a brand if they were successfully phished with fraudulent emails, texts, or websites. 

Once consumers associate your company’s name with scammers, they simply stay away even if your business is not at fault. 

Importance of Brand Trust

Your company cannot be successful without establishing brand trust among consumers. Brand trust requires providing quality products, expert service, and consumer protection. People are more willing to make a purchase if they trust your company. In fact, many customers are willing to pay more for services from a trusted brand.

Successful calling campaigns also rely on maintaining brand trust. If your caller ID is considered trustworthy, consumers are more likely to answer your outbound calls. They feel secure knowing that the call is legitimate and not an attempt to illegally gather their personal information or deceive them into making fraudulent purchases. This confidence leads to higher answer and conversion rates. 

How Does INFORM® PAIRED Use Out-of-Band Call Authentication?

First Orion’s INFORM® PAIRED almost eliminates brand spoofing by authenticating calls outside of the carrier network, using out-of-band call authentication. Here’s how it works: 

  • Prior to placing the call, the system sends call data from the company’s calling platform to First Orion.
  • First Orion uses this data to create a “unique key” for each call and assigns a Time to Live (TTL) designation, which sets a time limit for authentication.
  • The call is then initiated by the company.
  • Next, the carrier network requests authentication from First Orion, which verifies the key to ensure it matches.
  • If there is a match, the call receives the INFORM branded display. If not, the call is not branded.

The entire process takes milliseconds and does not cause any delay in your calls. This independent authentication system effectively filters out spoofed calls. 

Unified Call Authentication Benefits Consumers

When industry leaders collaborate to improve call authentication procedures, consumers benefit. They feel more confident about answering their phones because there are fewer loopholes for scammers to exploit. Scammers cannot easily bypass carriers with lower security standards when major players adopt the same safeguards. 

This new technology makes scamming less successful and profitable. The hope is that these bad actors will eventually be driven out of the industry. 

Importance of Caller ID Monitoring

Your caller ID is the first impression your company makes on new leads in outbound dialing campaigns. Ensuring that your caller ID displays accurately is crucial for improving answer rates. Maintaining your company’s reputation requires monitoring your caller IDs to ensure they are displayed correctly.

In addition, your caller ID affects how existing customers perceive your brand. Consumers are much more likely to answer the phone when they see a familiar company name displayed. Your caller ID can build confidence with existing customers and enhance your brand’s reputation.

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