Spam calls are officially back. RoboKiller's Bi-Annual Robocall Report found that consumers received 4.6 billion spam calls in July, which is roughly 17 calls per person. This only shows that while the beginning of the year may have been quiet, spammers are back. It seems that the quarantine orders during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused spammers to get more creative.
Fortunately, there's an app that tries to eliminate spam calls- the RoboKiller. It aims to stop these dangerous and annoying calls from ringing to your phone while getting revenge on spammers with hilarious Answer Bots. These robots intercept the call making the spammer think they are talking to a human, wasting spammers' time, so they don't waste yours!
To know more about this interesting app, Tech Times sat with Guilia Porter, the VP of Marketing at TelTech, the company behind Robokiller.
What is RoboKiller and how did it start
RoboKiller was founded by Teltech, a telecommunications company that focuses on mobile privacy. Launched in 2017, RoboKiller's mission was and still is to apply advanced technology to solve an old, but growing problem: spam calls.
RoboKiller is a smartphone application for iOS & Android that eliminates 99% of spam calls and texts. RoboKiller's call blocking algorithm uses A.I. and machine-learning to prevent phone scams from ever reaching customers' phones. RoboKiller also fights back with Answer Bots, robots that intercept the spam calls and make the spammer think they're talking to a human. Not only do they waste the scammer's time, but they also record the conversations for consumers' future entertainment.
To date, RoboKiller has accomplished 355M spam calls blocked by the app, 516M audio fingerprints processed by RoboKiller's algorithm, 171,000,000 minutes of scammers time wasted, and $293 in prevented consumer losses. The app has been downloaded over 11M times since its launch in 2017, and has 900,000 satisfied customers.
What problems are you trying to solve with this app?
RoboKiller is the best technology equipped to stop the current state of spam calls. This is because RoboKiller's technology addresses the root causes of the problem: caller ID spoofing and the scammers behind the calls.
Spammers use spoofing technologies to falsify the information displayed on your Caller ID and further disguise their identities by using a number that looks like it is from your area code. This is known as Neighbor Spoofing, and they do this knowing the victim is more likely to pick up if they think it's a local caller. These calls are tough to track and block since scammers are updating their phone numbers regularly.
Most current solutions only block calls based on their Caller ID, which does not solve the problems of spoofing. RoboKiller does and uses an advanced algorithm that combines live audio-fingerprinting, machine learning, call screening, and other innovative technologies to protect consumers from phone scams. The app not only blocks the call but the scammer behind it.
How have you been successful in this endeavor?
RoboKiller's database has a unique audio fingerprint for each scam and has processed 516M audio fingerprints, which allows the app to block calls no matter what phone number the scammer calls from. The app compares what has been identified before as a scam, allowing the mobile app to shut down in real-time to block these harmful calls from reaching consumers.
Solving the spam call problem doesn't always need to be serious, we like to have a little fun, too. That's where our Answer Bots come in. To date, our bots have blocked over 398M spam calls and wasted 171,000,000 minutes of scammers' time. Our selection of Answer Bots ranges from a Cher impersonator, AGT audition, and even an alien encounter.
RoboKiller is continuously innovating the app and finding new ways to stay one step ahead of scammers. In 2020, RoboKiller added call screening technology to its algorithm to identify the intent behind the call before it rings through. The app's new Radar screen allows users to identify scam activity in their state like the top spam phone numbers targeting their area, total spam calls in their state, and even report spam calls to help the RoboKiller community.
These efforts allow RoboKiller to eliminate 99% of spam calls from ringing to consumer phones.
How serious is the spam call problem nowadays?
In 2019, consumers received 61.4 billion spam calls - a 28% increase from 2018. In 2020, though, things shifted, and RoboKiller saw a 30% decrease in calls due to COVID-19 and quarantine orders impacting scammers from placing tons of calls, but that didn't stop them entirely; it just shifted their tactics.
According to the FTC, consumers filed over 155,000 reports with reported losses totaling $98M to COVID-19 scams. Though spam calls decreased, spammers updated their tactics to target consumers with COVID-19 related spam calls. RoboKiller identified phone calls and text messages related to the virus that offered PPE masks and testing kits.
As most spam calls go unanswered, spammers are constantly updating their strategies. Spammers improve their tactics by using Caller ID spoofing, which allows them to falsify the information displayed on your Caller ID to look like its local number from your area code.
RoboKiller is the best solution to stop spam calls and protect consumers from losing money. While other call blocking solutions block calls based on Caller ID, RoboKiller goes beyond that. A The app uses advanced technologies to protect consumers from these threatening calls regardless of spoofing technologies.
How can RoboKiller help protect consumers?
For consumers to protect themselves against phone scams, they need a solution that goes beyond the Caller ID to stop spam calls. RoboKiller uses machine learning, audio-fingerprinting, and other advanced technologies to combat robocalls and go beyond what carrier regulations can do. RoboKiller has prevented consumers from losing an average of $750 per year. Especially during times of uncertainty where scammers may take advantage of consumers' financial situation as well as those searching for jobs. RoboKiller helps consumers avoid distractions and focus on what matters.
Giulia Porter also recommends consumers follow best practices to avoid phone scams/texts:
● Avoid answering calls from unknown numbers, especially if they call at odd hours.
● Do not follow any prompts like pressing "1" or answering "Yes."
● Do not provide personal information over the phone.
● Sign up for the Do Not Call Registry and report scam calls to the FTC.
● Enlist in a call blocking app like RoboKiller to equip your phone with the latest technology.
