For Enterprises
Working with the Industry Traceback Group
The Industry Traceback Group (ITG) and the voice service providers that support the ITG are committed to protecting consumers and callers alike from illegal calls. The ITG has partnered with enterprises and other organizations that have been impacted by illegal calling activity and wish to proactively take action. The ITG has worked with various organizations, including financial institutions, hospitality companies, hospitals, utilities, and public safety agencies, to trace back unlawful calls that have:
- Impermissibly traded on a brand’s name to commit fraud or seek to sell a competing or inferior product or service;
- Sought to induce employees or customers to reveal sensitive personal information for fraudulent purposes (“vishing”);
- Attempted to disrupt phone lines and operations through a telephone denial of service attack, including for ransom; and
- Otherwise caused significant disruptions to in-bound call center operations.
These calls may be routed through four, five, or even more service providers before reaching a call center or customer, making identification of the source of the call difficult. The traceback process overcomes this challenge, even where a call is spoofed, tracing the call back provider to provider until the source of the call is identified.
In the United States, the ITG is designated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as the official U.S. Traceback Consortium, and, as the official Consortium, FCC rules require voice service providers to cooperate with ITG tracebacks. Thousands of domestic and foreign providers cooperate, providing the ITG with actionable information for private enforcement or law enforcement referrals. As importantly, providers take action to mitigate unlawful traffic in response to ITG traceback requests, which can disrupt the illegal call campaigns in the first instance.