Big news out of Boston from netnumber Global Data Services, the world-leading provider of phone number intelligence data; the company just announced the launch of Number Lock and Number Watch, two new nnSR (netnumber Services Registry) innovations that provide U.S. telecom providers, brands and financial institutions with real-time phone number protection and monitoring to mitigate fraud.
As the communications ecosystem strengthens its defenses against messaging fraud, these two robust services help defend against sophisticated organized messaging fraud while furthering recent regulatory initiatives to safeguard text messaging. These innovations are offered through the netnumber Services Registry (nnSR), an industry registry launched and managed by netnumber GDS and a critical piece of the U.S. message routing infrastructure and include sought-after security measures and real-time monitoring to deter brand impersonation and other emerging U.S. text messaging crimes.
The Know on Number Lock
Number Lock increases security for enterprises by restricting text messaging on customer-specified 10-digit non-mobile numbers upon the request of the subscriber to the number. With Number Lock, enterprises can secure their brand and prevent fraudsters from using well-known business phone numbers via text messaging to gain a victim’s trust.
“Highly organized, sophisticated fraudsters are attempting to hijack recognized phone numbers of brands and financial institutions and using them to communicate with end-user victims to extort them via text messaging,” said Catalin Badea, VP of Product Management at netnumber GDS. “In this scheme, fraudsters may target phone numbers trusted by a customer base, such as call center or emergency numbers used to report a stolen credit card. The unsuspecting victims believe they are engaging with real brand representatives and are persuaded to divulge account passwords and sensitive information, make purchases or transfer money,” Badea explained.
With Number Lock:
- A customer’s specified 10-digit non-mobile numbers will have a strict no-texting status, making them virtually impossible to target.
- Customers will receive regular reports on text-enablement requests for their numbers.
- Do Not Originate requirements, which help enterprises inform the industry of their non-text-enabled phone numbers, will also be supported by the service.
A Look at Number Watch
Number Watch is a comprehensive phone number monitoring solution for telecom providers, financial institutions and enterprises. This service stores customer-specified phone numbers on a watchlist that is continually monitored for a wide range of events and activities by netnumber GDS. The customer is immediately informed if any monitored events are observed on watchlist phone numbers. Essentially, Number Watch allows customers to be alerted to events in real time, helping them detect any potentially fraudulent activity.
“We continue to invest heavily in creating innovative services that provide creative and novel ways to undercut communications fraudsters, protecting our customers, partners and the industry as a whole,” said Steve Legge, President and CEO of netnumber GDS.
To learn more about Number Lock or Number Watch, visit netnumber.com/number-watch and
