T-Mobile Has Blocked Over a Billion Scam Calls, and Now Industry-Leading Tech Keeps Customers Even Safer

T-Mobile is an industry-leader in protecting customers from unwanted calls, and now the Un-carrier is taking it to the next level with improvements to Scam ID, Scam Block and new network-level protections

• What’s the news: T-Mobile has already blocked more than a billion scam calls, and today the Un-carrier is going further. T-Mobile is officially first to announce readiness for both the FCC-recommended STIR/SHAKEN standards and is first to launch new spoof-detection technology at the network level to give customers even more security than before.
• Why it matters: Scam protection is a top concern for everyone. It is estimated that 50% of U.S. mobile traffic will be scam calls by 2019. Not only are unwanted calls annoying, they’re potentially dangerous with unsuspecting Americans tricked into losing hundreds, and sometimes untold thousands, of dollars to fraudsters.
• Who it’s for: Anyone who wants more protection against scams. So…everyone.

BELLEVUE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Scammers beware: T-Mobile’s got your number (literally). T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) today launched new and improved technology to give T-Mobile postpaid and Metro by T-Mobile customers even more protection from scammers and spammers than before. The Un-carrier announced today that it is:

• First to integrate new spoof identification technology at the network level, meaning that Scam ID and Scam Block, the Un-carrier’s free scam detection services, can now better catch and stop spoofed numbers from reaching your phone. And T-Mobile is still the only major wireless provider to deliver free scam protection on any device without requiring an app or registration, successfully flagging over 90% of scam calls.
• First in the industry to announce readiness for both the new FCC standards of STIR (Secure Telephony Identity Revisited) and SHAKEN (Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs). When adopted industry-wide, these standards will allow customers to know the calls they are receiving are verified as authentic and not spoofed or hijacked.

With today’s announcements, T-Mobile is protecting customers in ways that no other wireless provider can match and giving customers more incoming call control than ever before.

“Since launching Scam ID and Scam Block 18 months ago, we’ve tagged over 6 billion calls as Scam Likely and blocked over 1 billion scam calls,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “This is an industry-wide issue. It’s estimated that by 2019, nearly half of all calls to mobile phones will be scam attempts! And when the other guys join us in adopting STIR/SHAKEN standards, every consumer will be even better protected. We’ll do our part to keep protecting Un-carrier customers, so you can be free to enjoy your phone – without worry!”

In addition to being first to announce readiness for both the new STIR/SHAKEN standards, T-Mobile improved its popular Scam ID and Scam Block with new protections against the increasingly common “Neighborhood Spoofing” – where scammers temporarily hijack a phone number to match the area code and 3-digit prefix of the person they are targeting, making the incoming call look familiar. Existing protection apps can only black-list against known scam numbers, not legitimate numbers that’ve been temporarily hijacked by scammers.

Together with partner First Orion, T-Mobile is the only major wireless provider to add and deliver new protections at the network level. That means Un-carrier customers can expect fewer of these types of calls, thanks to intelligent analysis of network-wide data that better pinpoints and identifies the origin of a call before it reaches your phone. And, every postpaid T-Mobile customer – and Metro by T-Mobile customer – gets it for free. No app or special registration required.

Scam ID instantly alerts customers when an incoming call is likely a scam, and Scam Block lets customers block scam calls before they reach your phone. Scam ID is included in all postpaid plans and for Metro by T-Mobile and is built into the network, so it will work automatically on all phones with Caller ID. If a customer prefers never to be bothered by scam calls, they can simply turn on Scam Block by enabling the feature on their T-Mobile account or dialing #662# and T-Mobile will terminate those calls before it reaches them. T-Mobile’s consumer protection family includes the free services Scam ID and Scam Block, which launched in March 2017 and the premium Name ID, which is available for just $4 month per line.

For more information on all the ways T-Mobile is protecting customers, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/call-protection.

Qualifying service and capable device required. Scam Block / Name ID: Enabling blocking may inadvertently block desired calls. Disable at any time. Info for some unknown numbers not available.

Full release on T-Mobile’s Website here: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/t-mobile-fights-scam-calls