Digital Voice landline update scam calls (Image: GETTY)
The to newer digital ‘Voice over IP’ connections has caused a fair amount of anger, worry and frustration. The new Digital Voice platform ends the need for ageing copper cables to make phone calls with customers chatting with friends and family via the web instead. The rollout of this service is slowing gathering pace but some older customers have been left concerned by the need to have a broadband connection and the issue that calls can’t be made if the internet goes down.
These worries are being addressed with hoping that the majority of UK homes will be moved to Digital Voice by 2027 – and it appears that there is one big benefit from adopting this upgrade.
BT has just confirmed that it’s managed to block over 2,400,000 scam calls using clever AI technology, called Hiya, that’s baked into Digital Voice.
This vetting service displays when a call is thought to be a scam with users seeing a warning displayed on their phone that says “Nuisance?”.
Scam calls are then automatically diverted to a customer’s junk voicemail, protecting them from the threat of scammers.
It’s an important update as these types of attacks continue to grow in popularity. BT reckons it will block more than 1.5 million scam calls monthly once all customers have moved over to Digital Voice.
Crooks are constantly looking for new ways to cash in and it seems ringing unsuspecting users is now a popular method of scamming people out of money or gaining access to bank accounts and passwords.
Speaking about the news Lucy Baker MBE, BT Consumer’s All-IP Director said: “Our top priority is ensuring our customers feel secure and confident when using our services. This new Hiya technology is now integrated with Digital Voice and is proving to be incredibly effective at stopping scam calls. We remain committed to protecting customers during the switch to digital landlines.”
Alex Algard, CEO of Hiya added: “We’re thrilled to be supporting BT in its mission to shield users from unwanted calls. It’s great to see that our technology has successfully blocked fraud and spam calls, which will in turn give customers the confidence to answer their phones and engage in meaningful conversations without the interruption of unwanted disturbances. This progress underscores our dedication to enhancing digital safety and improving the user experience.”
What is Digital Voice?
This digital calling, which connects homes via the internet, offers modern features not found on old landline services, such as Multi Call, three-way calling for conference calls, and call diversion to any other phone number including mobile phones. The call quality should also be much improved with Digital Voice, though you’ll need a compatible Digital Home phone to take advantage.