Latest news with #RichCommunicationServices
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Beware texts asking for personal details
KLANG: Any short messaging service (SMS) content that includes hyperlinks, callback numbers or requests for personal information is likely to be from scammers rather than legitimate sources. According to a source involved in network security, the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) issued a statement last year regarding this matter. He noted that the MCMC had announced that, as of September 2024, the sending of hyperlinks, callback numbers and requests for personal information via SMS would be prohibited. This directive had been communicated to all telecommunication companies, he added. However, the source, who wished to remain anonymous, noted that the MCMC faced several additional challenges, especially regarding Internet messaging services such as Google's Rich Communication Services (RCS) and Apple's iMessage. Both of these services are integrated within the SMS application. Consequently, if there is a message icon displayed on the phone, it allows users to receive RCS and iMessage as well. 'I believe both Google and Apple have not 'ingested' the rules issued by the MCMC,' he said. He said the MCMC seems determined to enforce the prohibition ruling on both platforms, given that many had become victims of scams after receiving bogus messages, including those allegedly from the government. In addition to these, there were other conduits that facilitated scams, including fake base stations, commonly referred to as rogue base stations or Stingrays. 'Phones try to connect to the strongest signals available, and hence, if there is a fake base station with a strong signal, phones will try connecting to it. 'Once connected to the fake base station, scammers operating these bogus transmission stations can send out SMSes that contain hyperlinks and other banned content. 'They can also craft the messages into whatever they want them to be,'' he explained. The expert noted that the MCMC is collaborating with telecommunications companies to combat these issues as part of their efforts to eliminate scamming platforms. To make matters worse, conmen were also spoofing the numbers of telecommunications account holders and using them to perpetrate scams by generating what is referred to as 'boomerang traffic'. 'International calls come in and connect to the telcos here through local numbers. 'To curb this, a repository must be created to ensure that when calls from local numbers come from overseas, the caller is indeed overseas and the calls are not coming from spoofed local numbers,' he added. He explained that when mobile phone users travel overseas, their numbers must go into the repository, as they would be expected to call home from wherever they are. 'But if the account holders are in Malaysia and not overseas, and if calls are being made from their numbers but originating from overseas, the repository should reject those calls,' he said, noting that he is aware the MCMC is also pushing for this aspect. He said the onus must also be on members of the public to be cautious and immediately delete SMSes that come with hyperlinks seeking personal information as well as with callback numbers. 'They are from scammers and not from any legitimate source,' he added.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sinch Recognized as a Leading RCS Vendor in ROCCO's 2024 Market Impact Report
Recognition from Mobile Operators Across 64 Countries Reinforces Sinch's Innovation and Global Leadership in Advanced Messaging STOCKHOLM, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sinch (Sinch AB (publ)) – (XSTO: SINCH), which is pioneering the way the world communicates through its Customer Communications Cloud, today announced it has received an award as a Tier 1 vendor in the ROCCO Rich Communication Services (RCS) Messaging Market Impact Report 2024 – a recognition based on direct feedback from mobile operators across 64 countries. ROCCO, independent research, and strategic consulting firm focused on the mobile operator and messaging industry, that ranks leading vendors annually across more than 30 key performance indicators (KPIs), including reliability, technical innovation, customer support, quality of service, and vendor responsiveness. The report is based on insights from 92 mobile operators worldwide and reflects the critical role RCS is playing, as operators are navigating the shift from traditional messaging channels like SMS to RCS and what mobile operators can expect from partners to drive the messaging transformation forward. "Sinch is delighted to be recognized as a Tier 1 RCS vendor by ROCCO and the global mobile operator community," said Francois Boshoff, Vice President, and Head of Product Management at Sinch. "We're proud to support mobile operators at every stage, from sending their own RCS customer messages to launching, operating, securing and monetizing RCS for Business with our RCS Business Enablement Service. Sinch's RCS solutions – including applications, APIs, and platform integrations, as well as our RCS Business Enablement service for mobile operators to successfully launch RCS for Business provides all the tools and infrastructure to drive RCS adoption and revenue growth for all businesses." Sinch's support for operators extends beyond service enablement. Mobile operators are increasingly using Sinch to power their own digital customer engagement strategies – leveraging RCS for branded, safe, and engaging communications that builds stronger relationships with subscribers. "RCS is evolving into a critical channel for mobile operators and brands looking to create richer, more secure customer interactions," said Antonio Rodríguez, Chief Research Officer at ROCCO. "Mobile Operators consistently cited Sinch for its technical strength, proactive support, and deep understanding of what it takes to make RCS work at scale. Sinch continues to stand out as a trusted partner in this next chapter of messaging." The ROCCO impact report also features vendor interviews and market analysis on the future of RCS in a mobile-first digital economy. Sinch was acknowledged for helping operators scale and monetize RCS with a focus on trusted delivery, flexible enterprise integration, and measurable engagement. As a long-time advocate and early leader in RCS, Sinch delivers scalable, secure infrastructure that mobile operators and enterprises trust to power the next generation of customer communications. Our robust platform enables smarter, more engaging conversations through rich media, suggested replies, carousels, secure vendor verification, and AI-powered automation, bringing seamless, app-like experiences directly into the messaging thread. With direct operator connections and a presence in over 60 countries, Sinch is uniquely positioned to help mobile operators evolve their messaging strategies and confidently embrace emerging channels like RCS. Lean more at For more information please contact: Janet Lennon, Director of Global PR & |1.206.914.6175 This information was brought to you by Cision View original content: SOURCE Sinch AB Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
RCS ad spam worsens across all platforms and could be here to stay
The Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol offers major upgrades over SMS/MMS, including features like high-res images and typing notifications. The RCS adoption push was fueled partly by the industry's desire for improved automated marketing and streamlined engagement. RCS advertisement, often powered by AI chatbots, will almost certainly become more widespread. Built to replace two aging standards, the Rich Communication Services protocol offers a massive functionality upgrade over old, tired SMS and MMS messages. Google Messages began supporting it at the end of 2019 and spent years feuding with Apple in an apparent attempt to encourage adoption. Since then, a bunch of carriers have tried and failed at their own implementations, the Universal Profile helped ensure interoperability, and Apple eventually caved. That means everybody, Android or iOS, now gets to enjoy cutting-edge messaging technology filling their inbox with automated messages from companies they might not want to hear from (Source: Android Authority). And even as Google delivers various add-on features to reduce spam, there's one thing it's not telling you. The mobile industry explicitly pushes RCS technology as a way to regain control over the business-to-consumer engagement pipeline and greatly streamline automated marketing messaging. It's not even really a secret, so don't expect it to go away anytime soon. And expect AI to be closely intertwined. RCS lets you customize the color of your bubbles, but still won't solve humiliating blue bubble discrimination. RCS has significant advantages over SMS and MMS, including live typing notifications, better integration with other software, high-resolution images, and the potential for end-to-end encryption. It boasts a similar feature set to WhatsApp and Telegram, which most regions outside North America and China have relied on over SMS for years. With US smartphone users strangely resistant to third-party messaging platforms, the region needed an upgrade. RCS can provide it. But enhanced communication between friends and family is just one side of the industry's two-pronged motive for implementing the new standard in the exact way it has. The lesser-known motivation? You guessed it: advertising. We're not saying carriers, smartphone developers, and other industry groups pushed for RCS adoption exclusively to supercharge marketing spam. But the GSMA, the industry working group responsible for spearheading the standard's development, isn't trying to hide anything. This GSMA whitepaper explains how RCS Business Messaging (or RBM) is engineered to simplify reaching consumers with automated materials and streamline brand engagement. RCS spam has plagued users since shortly after the protocol became popular. It got so bad in India three years ago that Google put a blanket moratorium on all forms of RBM just to stop the bleeding. As users from South Asia to the Americas continue to report, unwanted RCS advertisements remain rampant to this day. Now that iOS users have been invited to the spamfest, nobody has to feel left out. RCS as an upgrade to A2P [application-to-person] SMS Messaging and the features that it can provide give operators an opportunity to take more of the revenue share of digital marketing spend. These features mean that RCS can be used to replace app development and email campaigns by brands. — GSMA, the industry group behind RCS development It's a powerful advertisement for companies to dive fully into RCS implementation. No more developing expensive, bespoke apps just to provide customer service or spread the world about the latest sales. No more convincing interested demographics to sign up for a loyalty program using an email account. The RCS protocol's ability to integrate with a phone's software ecosystem lets a marketing department keep everything pretty much in-house. Companies no longer have to struggle with the whims of companies like Meta, Telegram, or X/Twitter to provide customer service and advertisements, because RCS is an open standard. Its live-action, full-featured design intends for consumers to do all the required interacting via their favorite messaging app, which should, logically, reduce friction and increase engagement. Considering how that's a major purpose of RCS adoption, there's no reason automated RBM messaging would ever try to completely squash what many users consider spam. See? AI dialogue is completely indistinguishable from person-to-person conversation. In another sign that RCS spam is here to stay, Google and the three major US carriers have agreed to adopt Clerk Chat, a refined platform for delivering commercial RCS messages. Clerk Chat's promise of "swipe-through carousel displays of upcoming events" essentially translates to a slideshow of visual advertisements, complete with an in-platform option to make purchases. The initiative's stated goal of giving users a "concierge-like experience" sounds fancy, until you remember that a quality concierge requires access to certain sensitive details like a client's identity, itinerary, and payment information. Naturally — because no 2020s tech product is complete otherwise — AI models and LLM chatbots figure to feature heavily within this user-friendly, business-friendlier messaging standard and its increased usage and development. If you've received illicit spam any time recently, some portion is likely sourced from AI. And as corporations continue to take further advantage of the tools the industry has given them, we'll only see increased engagement with Turing test-passing robots. Many US smartphone users simply don't answer the phone anymore, due to the high rate of spam calls. With built-in ad-focused mechanisms, it's frustrating to see RCS potentially heading in that direction from the jump. Nonetheless, there is promise that the advanced messaging protocol can really improve customers' experiences if the spam doesn't get too heavy-handed or AI too out of pocket. Plus, at least the chatbots are convincing.
Business Wire
19-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Infobip and Clerk Chat Partner to Deliver Next-Generation RCS Messaging for a Professional Football Team
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Infobip, a global leader in omnichannel communications, is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Clerk Chat to deliver a groundbreaking Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging experience for a Los Angeles based football team. This collaboration brings together Infobip's robust messaging platform and Clerk Chat's innovative conversational technology, enabling the team to engage with their fans in a more dynamic, interactive, and personalized way across all major mobile carriers. By seamlessly integrating Infobip's enterprise-grade RCS and Conversational Experience technology with Clerk Chat's advanced Conversational AI platform, the team can now offer fans a richer, app-like experience directly within their native messaging apps. This solution empowers the team to share multimedia content, interactive updates, and real-time engagement opportunities, all while ensuring secure and reliable delivery at scale. 'We are thrilled to join forces with Clerk Chat to set a new standard for fan engagement in sports,' said Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip. 'Our collaboration demonstrates the power of combining Infobip's global messaging infrastructure with Clerk Chat's conversational expertise, delivering innovative and immersive experiences that connect brands and audiences like never before.' This partnership marks a significant milestone in the evolution of conversational messaging, showcasing how two industry leaders can work collaboratively to bring next-generation solutions to market. Together, Infobip and Clerk Chat are redefining how sports organizations engage with their communities, setting the stage for broader adoption of RCS technology across industries. 'RCS for business is transforming the way brands engage with customers. We see it as an ideal platform for AI, enabling brands to deliver richer, more dynamic conversations,' says Alexander Haque, co-founder and CEO of Clerk Chat. 'This shift has the potential to democratize access to AI-powered services, offering everyone a concierge-like experience directly within their messaging app.' For more information about Infobip's RCS solutions, visit About Infobip Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip's omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and 'things' in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, Roberto Kutić and Izabel Jelenić. Recent award wins include: Infobip ranked an Established Leader in the Juniper Research Conversational AI Leaderboard (Feb 2025) Infobip named a Leader for the third time in the IDC MarketScape (Feb 2025) Infobip named one of the top CPaaS providers in Metrigy's CPaaS MetriRank Report (Dec 2024) Infobip named number one among Established Leaders in RCS Business Messaging in Juniper Research's RCS Business Messaging Competitor Leaderboard 2024 (Nov 2024) Infobip recognized as the number one provider in the AIT Fraud Prevention market by Juniper Research (Oct 2024) Infobip named a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) 2024 for the second year running (June 2024) Infobip named to Fast Company's Annual List of the World's Most Innovative Companies (March 2024) Omdia Ranks Infobip as Leader for the second year running in its CPaaS Universe Report (Nov 2023) About Clerk Chat Clerk Chat is an AI-driven conversational messaging platform that enables businesses to stay connected and respond to client and customer requests through seamless, real-time communication. Designed for businesses aiming to enhance their customer engagement, Clerk Chat integrates with major platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, Salesforce, HubSpot and more. It supports connections with telecom providers such as Verizon, Twilio, Bandwidth, Sinch and Infobip, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Trusted by thousands of businesses looking for messaging services, Clerk Chat handles millions of messages daily, delivering a streamlined solution for sales, support and marketing in one intuitive interface.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sophisticated phishing scam impersonates postal giant
Australians are being urged to be on alert as a sophisticated scam is circulating in text messages and emails, impersonating one of the country's largest organisations. Dubbed "Darcula", the phishing scam sends out fraudulent messages claiming that a delivery from Australia Post failed due to an invalid postcode. It lures recipients into clicking malicious links, designed to steal personal information. The scam uses advanced techniques to bypass telco and network filters, allowing it to spread over iMessage and Rich Communication Services. It comes as new data released by the postal giant reveals that more than 90 per cent of Australians have been targeted by scammers in their lifetime. Meanwhile, 74 per cent of people have reported that scams commonly impersonate shipping and parcel delivery. This is a worrying statistic, according to Adam Cartwright, chief information security officer at Australia Post. He said it has never been more important to rely on trusted channels when managing deliveries. "If you're expecting a parcel, don't click on suspicious links or respond to unexpected messages, always check the (AusPost) app first," he said. Australians reported close to 250,000 scams last year, with financial losses totalling $318.8 million according to the National Anti-Scam Centre's Scamwatch service. Phone scams had the highest overall losses for contact method with $107.2 million reported lost across 2179 reporters. Australia Post is urging customers to remain vigilant and warn that parcel delivery scams may reference other delivery company names, both real and fake. Australia Post will never request personal or financial information, such as passwords, credit card details, or account information. The service will also never contact customers via call, text, or email to ask for payment.
