Close to 90% of people have never heard of 'robocalls'

Survey on robocalls conducted in response to the rapid global expansion of risks, such as fake phone calls during the US presidential election

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ribbon Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: RBBN), a global provider of real time communications technology and IP optical networking solutions to many of the world's largest service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure operators to modernize and protect their networks has conducted a survey on robocalls (automated voice calls) in Japan.

Machine-generated robocalls, also known as automated voice calls, often utilizing AI technology. While these calls can enhance operational efficiencies and reduce manpower requirements, they are frequently misused for fraudulent activities, such as obtaining personal information or conducting scams.

Earlier this Spring, robocalls mimicking President Biden's voice using generative AI technology were used to dissuade voters from participating in the New Hampshire electoral primary ahead of the November 5^th presidential election. Globally, robocalls have become a significant social issue. In Japan there has been a sharp increase in fraudulent robocalls, including scams involving false claims of unpaid fees.

Key survey findings include:

• Awareness Gap: Approximately 90% of respondents had never heard of robocalls. However, among those who were aware, approximately 85% recognized their use in fraudulent activities around the world.
• Suspicious Calls: One in five respondents reported receiving suspicious robocalls soliciting personal information or suspected of being scams, suggesting that despite limited public awareness, fraudulent robocalls are currently being made in Japan.
• Impact on Daily Life: Over 90% of those who received suspicious robocalls felt uncomfortable answering their phones, indicating that the impact of suspicious robocalls extends into everyday life.
• Limited countermeasures: 70% of respondents believe that individuals only have limited options in fighting against unwanted calls.
• As generative AI continues to evolve, the potential for damage caused by abusive robocalls is likely to increase. This underscores the need for companies and telecom providers to deploy robust tools to combat the misuse of robocalls are abused.

Comments by Yoshikazu Kuwabara, Senior Manager, Systems Engineering Department, Ribbon Communications
Robocalls have been increasing around the world over the past few years, and while not all robocalls are malicious, thery are contributing to a growing loss of trust in telephony. More and more, people refuse to answer calls from unknown numbers, blocked numbers, or avoid answering the phone altogether.

As robocalls are not a daily occurrence in Japan at present, many people are unaware of them. However, as 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls (automated voice calls), indicating that robocalls do exist in Japan and could become more common in the future. In the USA, where robocalls have become a major issue, call verification (STIR/SHAKEN) has already been mandated by the FCC and Congress.

In this context, Ribbon Communications offers Ribbon Call Trust as a solution for assuring the identity of callers (Identity Assurance Solution). It provides caller Reputation scoring, robocall and fraudulent call detection with anomaly analysis, STIR/SHAKEN services (Caller ID authentication, signing and verification), blocklisting, encryption, CAC, policy routing and CVT (Call Validation Treatment). functions, contributing to the creation of a safe and secure telephony environment.

Survey Summary

• 90% of people have never heard of 'robocalls'!
• Of those who know about robocalls, about 85% know of cases where they have been used fraudulently.
• Around 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls!
• One in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall!
• Approximately 94% of those who experienced a suspicious robocall had negative feelings about the call they subsequently received.
• When a call comes in from an unknown number, the countermeasure taken by around 70% of people is: 'I don't answer unknown numbers'.
• About 71% of respondents feel that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted phone calls!

Survey Overview

• Almost 90% of people have never heard of 'robocalls'!
  When asked if they had heard of robocalls, close to 90% of respondents said they had not heard of them or did not know about them. Although robocalls are a problem worldwide, they are still not well recognised in Japan. (n=330）
  
  
• About 85% of those who know about robocalls are aware of cases where they have been used fraudulently.
  Approximately 85% of those who are aware of Robocalls, know that they are being used fraudulently around the globe, including for various scams. Those who were aware of robocalls were also aware of a high percentage of cases of abuse. (n=39）
  
  
• Around 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls!
  When asked if they had received robocalls to their mobile or landline, around 42% said they had.（n=330）

The survey also found that more than half of those aged 50-65 years had been targeted by robocalls.

• One in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall!
  Of those who said they had experienced robocalls, around 46% said they had experienced suspicious robocalls that attempted to ask for personal information or were suspected of being a scam. These results show that one in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall. (n=138）

In terms of age, the most frequent experience of suspicious robocalls was in the 30s, at around 70%, followed by those in their 50s at around 50%.

• Approximately 94% of those who experienced a suspicious robocall had negative feelings about the call they subsequently received
  Of those who had experienced a suspicious robocall, around 94% said that they felt uncomfortable or did not pick up the subsequent call because they felt uncomfortable. This suggests that abusive and suspicious robocalls are having an impact on daily life. (n=63）
  
  
• When a call comes in from an unknown number, the countermeasure taken by around 70% of people is: 'I don't answer unknown numbers'.
  When asked what they do when they receive a call from an unknown number, the most common response was that they do not answer unknown numbers, at around 70%. A certain number of people do not take any countermeasures, with around 20% of respondents saying they have not thought about it. (Multiple answers) (n=325）
  
  
• About 71% of respondents feel that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted phone calls!
  Around 71% of respondents felt that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted calls, indicating that most people feel that this is a challenge. (n=325）

• About Ribbon Call Trust^®
  Ribbon Call Trust is an Identity Assurance Solution (Identity Assurance Solution) designed to guarantee the  identity of the caller. To prevent excessive robocalls and fraudulent calls, it is important to understand the caller's intentions and reputation. To this end, it provides Reputation Score, robocall and fraudulent call detection through anomaly analysis, STIR/SHAKEN services (Caller ID authentication, signature and verification), blocking, encryption, CAC, policy routing and CVT (Call Validation Treatment), Ribbon Call Trust is widely used by telecom operators, mainly in the US and Canada, but also in France and other countries where STIR/SHAKEN is mandatory.
  
  Providing a comprehensive Robocall Reputation Score in real-time using ML (Machine Learning) from multiple data sources, including external fraud information databases, telecom operators' own databases and statistics from analytics, to enable telecom This enables operators to perform appropriate CVT (Call Validation Treatment), such as announcement connection, activation of CAPTCHA authentication and call disconnection, for calls deemed to have a high potential for robocalls or fraud.

Ribbon Call Trust^® website
https://learn.rbbn.com/jp/identity-assurance

About Ribbon
Ribbon Communications (Nasdaq: RBBN) delivers communications software, IP and optical networking solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors globally. We engage deeply with our customers, helping them modernize their networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes in today's smart, always-on and data-hungry world. Our innovative, end-to-end solutions portfolio delivers unparalleled scale, performance, and agility, including core to edge software-centric solutions, cloud-native offers, leading-edge security and analytics tools, along with IP and optical networking solutions for 5G. We maintain a keen focus on our commitments to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters, offering an annual Sustainability Report to our stakeholders. To learn more about Ribbon, please visit rbbn.com.

Japanese website https://learn.rbbn.com/jp

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The information in this release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release, including those regarding the expected benefits from use of Ribbon Communication's products, are forward-looking statements. The actual results of Ribbon Communications may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Ribbon Communications' business, please refer to the "Risk Factors" section of Ribbon Communications' most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements represent Ribbon Communications' views only as of the date on which such statement is made and should not be relied upon as representing Ribbon Communications' views as of any subsequent date. While Ribbon Communications may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Ribbon Communications specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

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