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Interview with CBS: Basketball fans experience scam through text messages during March Madness craze

CBS Corpus Christi’s Victoria Balderrama reports on the dangers of NCAA March Madness. Balderrama turns to a fraud mitigation expert, Chris Drake, for tips on what to watch out for as the tournament progresses. The SVP of iconectiv warns views to never download a file from a text message sent by an unknown 10-digit number, as they can infect the device with malware. As a precaution, he suggests sports fans freeze their credit and back up their phone. See the full interview here.
Mar 15, 2023
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Interview with FOX: Mobile Betting Scams: Sports betting expert shares ways to avoid scams ahead of March Madness

Fox Boston reports on the uptick in scams looking to cash in on the urgency surrounding March Madness betting. Chris Drake, SVP of iconectiv, shares his insight on the topic and warns viewers to be wary of 10-digit numbers, as they are easy to spoof. Other red flags to be on the lookout for include misspelled words, attachments/links or any request to be sent money via an untraceable method, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards or payment apps. Drake recommends that sports fans caught in a scam…
Mar 15, 2023
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Interview with FOX: March Madness scammers? How to keep yourself safe

FOX Cleveland’s Brad Hamilton seeks input from iconectiv SVP, George Cray, on how scammers are leveraging March Madness to steal personal information. Cray warns that Ohio is a hotspot for scams, as the state can now legally bet on the tournament. He suggests putting a freeze on your credit and reporting scams to the local police. See the full interview here.
Mar 14, 2023
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Interview with FOX: March Madness brings the Final Four, and scammers, to Houston

Tom Zizka of FOX Houston warns viewers that March Madness is an opportunity for fraudsters to steal fans’ personal information. Scammers will use the NCAA tournament to craft texts around ticket sales or a betting opportunity in hopes to trick receivers into sharing personal information or clicking malicious links. George Cray, VP at iconectiv, offers insight as a telecom security expert and recommends never trusting these texts with sensitive information or clicking links. Zizka explains that…
Mar 14, 2023
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Interview with CBS: “They cleared my whole bank account,” Jax woman scammed, experts now warning others about spam texts

Megan Moriarty of CBS Jacksonville shares the story of how Tesa Childs was a victim of number porting fraud. The victim shared that her bank account was emptied, and the scammer had complete access to her phone. Moiarty turns to telecom expert, George Cray, VP of iconectiv, for insight on how viewers can protect themselves. Cray explains that you can never 100% trust a text from an unknow 10-digit number and that 5-6-digit short codes are more reliable. See the whole interview here.
Mar 8, 2023
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VanillaPlus Magazine Issue 1 2023: Are we nearly there yet?

Traditionally, network service providers have charged flat-rate termination fees regardless of the call’s originating country, the network service provider and the type of connection used – mobile or fixed. While a flat-rate billing approach may have its benefits – in terms of it being a simple, clear-cut fee for the network service provider – it is not helping their financial bottom line, and here’s why. Let’s use the example of a mobile customer in Australia who calls a friend in France. With…
Feb 21, 2023
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Interview with FOX: Experts remind people to watch out for tax scams

Joshua Oculam of FOX Scranton cautions viewers of tax scams ramping up before April. iconectiv CTO, Chris Drake, provides expert insight on ways to keep viewers and their information safe. Drake explains that the IRS will contact Americans by notices in the mail, not by text or email. If a suspicious looking message is received, Drake warns to never click the link and to freeze your credit. Watch the full interview here.
Feb 17, 2023

Press Releases

Media Contact:
Sharon Oddy
Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications
+1 732 699-5130
soddy@iconectiv.com

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With Voice and Messaging Communications, Trust is a Two-Way Street

iconectiv Senior Vice President George Cray Explores What’s Being Done to Help Businesses and Consumers Further Establish Trusted Communications What: The past few years have demonstrated just how much we depend on our mobile phones – for services, connection and convenience. As a result, digital transformation is gaining significant momentum, and identity verification is becoming more critical than ever. Businesses need to have trust in knowing who their customers are and consumers…
May 2, 2022
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Do You Take Calls from Numbers You Don’t Recognize? Odds Are, You Don’t

With Digital Transformation Taking Shape, iconectiv CTO Chris Drake Talks About What This Means for Businesses, and What’s Being Done to Further Build Consumer Trust in Voice and Messaging Communications What: In this day and age, where so many in-person interactions have been replaced with remote engagements, digital transformation has become fundamental. As a result, businesses and consumers are relying on their mobile devices more than ever – utilizing voice and text communications…
Apr 25, 2022
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How Service Providers are Weeding Out Illegal Robocalls, SMS Spam and Other Fraud Before It Reaches Consumers

Media Advisory iconectiv Telecom Fraud Expert David Estes Explores How the Industry is Restoring Consumer Trust in Voice Calls and Text Messages What: Each year, communications service providers (CSPs) worldwide lose over US$39 billion to fraud such as illegal robocalls, SMS phishing (“smishing”) and “wangiri” callback schemes, according to the Communications Fraud Control Association (CFCA) and analyst firms. This live-stream session explores how the industry is successfully thwarting…
Apr 22, 2022
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iconectiv Toll-Free-Number Expert Mike Gilbert Elected ATIS SNAC Co-Chair

What’s the News: As co-chair of the ATIS SMS/800 Number Administration Committee (SNAC), iconectiv Senior Account Director Mike Gilbert will oversee key toll-free number industry initiatives such as ensuring consumer trust in voice calls and text messaging. Why it Matters: Years of illegal robocalls, SMS spam and fraud have undermined consumer trust in voice calls and text messages, including those from toll-free numbers. Restoring trust is critical for service providers and all the…
Apr 21, 2022
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The Path to Trusted Voice Calls and Text Messages

Media Advisory iconectiv Senior Vice President George Cray Explores How the Momentum Behind STIR/SHAKEN and Registered Caller™ is Transforming the Industry  What: In an effort to stave off the more than 85 billion illegal robocalls placed each year, as well as SMS phishing (“smishing”) and other fraud, industry players have banded together to keep the voice and messaging ecosystem safe for consumers and attractive to businesses. The Secure Telephone Identity Revisited…
Apr 19, 2022
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Rich Call Data Helps Increase Call Answer Rates, Restores Consumer Trust

Media Advisory Business Value of Rich Call Data is Helping Increase Call Answer Rates, Restore Consumer Trust Verizon, T-Mobile, CTIA and iconectiv Discuss Best Practices During SIPNOC 2022 What: This year, consumers will lose $40 billion to fraudulent robocalls. The deluge of illegal robocalls also has conditioned 58% of consumers to answer calls only from numbers they recognize. This makes it difficult, expensive and sometimes impossible for hospitals, schools and other legitimate…
Mar 17, 2022
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Understanding How Service Providers and Regulators Can Prepare for SHAKEN’S Global Expansion at SIPNOC 2022

Media Advisory Microsoft, Bandwidth, ATIS and iconectiv Discuss Best Practices During SIPNOC 2022 What: With more than 85 billion spam phone calls placed globally each year costing trillions in lost business and productivity, keeping the voice ecosystem safe for consumers and attractive to business is an objective we all share. In the U.S., service providers and industry players have been focused on implementing solutions designed to ensure the integrity of communications networks and…
Mar 16, 2022