Apple patent could kill robocalls
Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images
FOX News - If you think you're fed up with getting robocalls, Apple is taking it to another level.
A new software patent from the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant could help kill robocalls and scams, letting users automatically recognize "a spoofing caller."
The patent, filed in April 2017, was made public on Thursday and describes a system that would let the phone do checks on a call to see whether the call is legitimate or if it is from a "spoofed number."
"The mobile device checks parameters using templates to evaluate a consistency of the invitation with respect to a database in the mobile device," the abstract of the patent reads. "The templates include session protocol, network topology, routing, and social templates."
The patent further goes into detail what a "spoofed call" is, essentially a spam call.
"An example of a spoofed message is one in which a person with bad intentions, a 'spoofing caller,' or a machine under the control of the spoofing caller, pushes forward a financial scam by inserting a caller ID value in the message that the called party will trust," the patent reads.
It continues: "For example, the caller ID value may be associated with law enforcement, an electric company or with a family relative of the called party. The spoofing caller may attempt to induce the called party to take some financial action detrimental to the called party based on this trust of the observed caller ID value. In some countries, this kind of financial scam is widespread and a problem for everyday users of mobile devices."