Mission
Recognizing that spam and fraudulent schemes increasingly leverage messaging (not just voice), this working group targets unwanted/illegal messaging on international networks. Their goal is to develop guidance, practices and technical approaches to detect, prevent and mitigate global messaging fraud — extending the Consortium’s anti-fraud and trust-building mission beyond voice.
Leadership
Eli Katz
XConnect
Kimberly Darrin
AT&T
Featured Documents
- White paper – Messaging
This white paper examines the global messaging ecosystem and highlights how inconsistent regulatory treatment across message types and jurisdictions has enabled fraud to migrate from more regulated channels, such as SMS, into less regulated or unregulated environments, including RCS and OTT platforms. Encryption, while critical for privacy and security, further limits visibility and hampers traditional network-based mitigation tools, exacerbating risks as messaging traffic increasingly shifts away from carrier-operated services.
Initial analysis and findings
What are the industry toolkit for reducing messaging fraud and scams ?
Can voice solutions be leveraged to reduce messaging spam ?
Challenges
- Disparate regulatory treatment of business messaging around the world
- Introduction of Rich Communications Service (RCS & RBM) bringing opportunities and some challenges
- Shift from carrier-operated messaging services to OTT
- Encryption – impacts to spam mitigation and lawful interception.
Recommendations
- Education and greater industry collaboration and alignment of tools and best practices are needed.
- Increase harmonization in the messaging ecosystem and regulatory action around the globe
Status: draft white paper, spam/scam mitigation tools, input from 1C industry and regulatory surveys; initial meeting with GIRAF
Future focus
- Guidance/best practices on inbound international messaging
- National Brand or Campaign Registries for Business Messaging and international cooperation.
- Trusted or verified messaging