End of scam calls? UK telco’s agree to auto-block

Published

3 years ago

October 26, 2021

Complaints from UK citizens being harassed with scam calls have been heard by the country’s telco giants

Britain’s major telecommunication company’s have agreed to automatically block almost all internet calls coming from abroad if they pretend to be from UK numbers, Ofcom has confirmed.

Scammers have been using internet-based calling technology to make it look like a phone call or text is coming from a real telephone number within Britain, rather than opting for a “No Caller ID”

Almost 45 million consumers were targeted by scam calls this summer.

Ofcom said it expected the measures to be introduced at pace as a “priority”.

Approximately 45 million consumers were targeted by phone scams this summer. | Image: File

Currently, just one telco, TalkTalk, has implemented the new plans

Other phone networks such as Vodafone are still exploring methods of making it work.

“We’ve been working with telecoms companies to implement technical solutions, including blocking at source, suspicious international calls that are masked by a UK number,”
said Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s networks and communications group director.

“We expect these measures to be introduced as a priority, and at pace, to ensure customers are better protected.”

She added tackling the phone scams issue was a “complex problem” that required a coordinated effort from the police, government, other regulators and industry.

The move follows months of discussions between Ofcom and the UK telecoms industry.

Is GenerativeAI transforming education?

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

ticker NEWS

Educators today are facing an uphill battle, so what’s the solution?

Today’s educators are passionate, but they’re up against diverse classrooms and outdated teaching methods.

In this episode, Trevor Furness, Chief Revenue Officer of Octopus B-I discuss their efforts to transform education. #funding futures

How AI is leveraging Amazon’s fast production

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2024

Nathan Langridge

Amazon reported better-than-expected results for the last quarter, surpassing analysts’ estimates.

Amazon reported better-than-expected results for the last quarter, surpassing analysts’ estimates, driven by strong performance in its cloud computing and AI.

Ticker’s Ahron Young & Veronica Dudo discuss.

Tesla is slashing prices to stay competitive

Published

2 weeks ago

April 21, 2024

Reuters

Tesla cut the U.S. prices of its Model Y, Model X and Model S vehicles by $2,000 each, days after the first-quarter deliveries of the world’s most valuable automaker missed market expectations.

Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle (EV) maker lowered the prices for its Model Y base variant to $42,990, while the long-range and performance variants are now priced at $47,990 and $51,490, respectively, according to its website.

The basic version of the Model S now costs $72,990 and its plaid variant $87,990. The Model X base variant now costs $77,990 and its plaid variant is priced at $92,900.

Tesla North America also said in a post on X said it would end its referral program benefits in all markets after April 30.

Referral program allows buyers to get extra incentives through referrals from existing customers, a strategy long used by traditional automakers to boost sales.

Musk has postponed a planned trip to India where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans to enter the South Asian market, Reuters reported on Saturday.

On Monday Reuters reported, citing an internal memo, that the EV maker was laying off more than 10% of its global workforce.

Earlier this month Reuters reported the EV maker had canceled a long-promised inexpensive car, expected to cost $25,000, that investors had been counting on to drive mass-market growth.

The EV maker reported this month that its global vehicle deliveries in the first quarter fell for the first time in nearly four years, as price cuts failed to stir demand.

Tesla is to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.