Tis the season for spammers and fraudsters to start calling again. The FTC has notices on how to spot fake charities or what to do if you suspect a caller is pretending to be with the IRS but this still relies on consumers to realize the caller is trying to deceive them. AT&T announced the AT&T Call Protect program to help combat these nuisance callers. Once a customer opts-in it will offer automatic fraud call blocking and warnings on suspected spam callers.
Jeff Bradley, SVP of Device and Network Services Marketing for AT&T said “Nuisance calls are an industry-wide problem that unfortunately affect many people,” and “We’ve listened to our customers and know they want a network that provides tools to proactively assist in blocking nuisance calls. AT&T Call Protect, along with others, will help put customers more in control of the calls they receive.”
While many phones allow for blocking a specific number and third-party apps exist to preemptively block calls. What sets the AT&T Call Protect apart is that it is built right into the AT&T network and can be enabled either by using the myAT&T portal or the app (For iOS and Android) . An additional feature of the app allows users to manually enable a 30 day call block for unwanted call.
Here is a breakdown of the current features:
Automatic Fraud Blocking – detects and blocks calls from likely fraudsters before they reach you. A list of blocked calls can be viewed in the AT&T Call Protect app
Suspected Spam Warning – on the incoming call screen alerts you when you get an incoming call from a suspected spam source—telemarketers, politicians, debt collectors, and more. This feature is only available in HD Voice coverage areas.
Temporary Call Block – lets you manually block unwanted calls for 30 days. Use the AT&T Call Protect app to select the callers you want to block. These numbers can be renewed for continued blocking.
Fraud calls should still be reported to the police or to your carrier.
