Insights

Building a Unified Front Against Telecom Fraud 

Dec 01, 2025

The power of a phone call or a message lies in its ability to connect us instantly. But behind that connection is an increasingly complex challenge: ensuring that the person or business on the other end is who they claim to be. 

Telecom fraud has grown into a global threat that undermines consumer trust, damages brand reputation and costs businesses billions every year. Fraudsters exploit the speed and reach of modern communications networks to impersonate legitimate numbers, launch scams and erode confidence in the very channels we rely on most. It inflicts direct consumer financial harm, stripping households and communities of hard-earned resources. 

For consumers, this means hesitating before answering a call. For enterprises, it means their carefully built customer relationships are at risk of being compromised. For regulators and service providers, it presents a borderless challenge — one that no single country or company can solve on its own. 

The Borderless Nature of Fraud 

One of the defining features of telecom fraud is that it transcends geography. A scam call can originate from one region, be routed through another and reach a consumer on the other side of the world in seconds. Fraudsters exploit regulatory gaps and inconsistencies between jurisdictions, making it clear that piecemeal solutions are not enough. 

This is particularly relevant for regions like the Caribbean, where digital connectivity is essential to economic growth, education and public safety. Here, as in many parts of the world, the strength of communication networks must be matched by the strength of the safeguards that protect them. Regional cooperation is essential to ensuring that fraudsters cannot exploit gaps in oversight. 

Collaboration as the Foundation 

Addressing telecom fraud requires more than advanced technology — it requires trust and collaboration. Service providers, regulators, enterprises and technology partners must work together to share intelligence, standardize protections and coordinate responses. By building cross-border partnerships, the industry can close the gaps that fraudsters exploit and create a unified defense that protects consumers and businesses alike. 

Global experience underscores that success in protecting communications depends on shared responsibility. Phone numbers, as the most universal form of digital identity, sit at the center of this effort. For individuals, they are a proxy for personal identity. For enterprises, they represent brand identity. Around the world, they are trusted as a critical factor in authenticating connections. Protecting this core identity asset must be a collective priority for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. 

Trusted Registries and Regulatory Stewardship 

Protecting phone numbers as a core identity asset must be a collective priority for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. One proven model comes from the United States, where numbering resources are managed through neutral, transparent registries operated on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Somos has the privilege of supporting this stewardship across three key functions: 

• The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) oversees local 10-digit numbers across wireless and wireline.
• The Toll-Free Number Administrator (TFNA) manages the comprehensive registry of Toll-Free numbers, including routing information and portability.
• The Reassigned Numbers Database (RND) reduces unwanted calls by enabling enterprises to confirm whether a number has been disconnected or reassigned. 

These systems highlight how trusted registries can balance innovation with consumer protection. By maintaining neutrality, transparency and accountability, they provide both industry and consumers with the confidence that numbering resources — the foundation of digital identity — are being safeguarded. 

Beyond Administration: Protecting the Ecosystem 

Somos also develops commercial solutions that extend beyond numbering administration to help enterprises and providers worldwide fight fraud, maintain compliance and ensure data integrity. These services provide phone number identity intelligence and other signals that are used not only by telecommunications companies but also by sectors like financial services, to verify identity and maintain customer trust . 

By protecting the integrity of communications, we help ensure that enterprises can connect with consumers confidently — and that consumers can answer the phone call or message without hesitation. 

Yet as effective as these tools are, no single solution can eliminate the threat of fraud. Lasting impact requires alignment across borders, industries and markets. 

That is why Somos actively contributes to international frameworks, working with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and through other global forums to advance consumer protection and fraud prevention. These global engagements ensure that lessons learned across markets can be shared, adapted and applied regionally, creating a stronger, more coordinated defense against fraudsters. 

In the Caribbean, this commitment translates into close collaboration with regulators, service providers and industry leaders. Somos is proud to support regional cooperation and to stand alongside organizations like CANTO and OCCUR, which are leading the way toward a digitally connected Caribbean. By pairing global expertise with regional engagement, we help build secure, trusted digital ecosystems that protect consumers from financial harm while unlocking the benefits of digital transformation. 

A Shared Path Forward 

The digital future is full of promise. The Digital Transformation of the Caribbean is well underway with expanding connectivity, innovation and investment. Regions around the world are well-positioned to play a greater role in the global digital economy. Yet with this promise comes a critical responsibility: ensuring that communications remain trusted. 

That responsibility cannot be carried by any one nation, provider or enterprise alone. It must be a shared effort — across borders, across industries and across sectors. By working together, stakeholders everywhere can strengthen defenses against fraud, protect consumers and enterprises, and build a communications ecosystem where trust is the foundation of every interaction. 

The challenges of telecom fraud are real, but so are the opportunities. Collective action can ensure that fraudsters do not dictate the terms of our digital future. Instead, we can create a world where consumers answer calls and messages without hesitation, where enterprises reach customers without fear of impersonation, and where communications are not just fast and reliable but trusted and secure. In harmony with the latest CANTO theme “Elevate the Caribbean: From Connectivity to Global Competitiveness”, we at Somos believe that the future is within reach — and we are committed to achieving it in partnership with the global communications community. 

To advance this critical work, regional stakeholders are encouraged to contact Kevin Green, Somos’ lead representative for the Caribbean, at kgreen@somos.com or on WhatsApp @202-689-5663 to explore collaborative opportunities. 

This article was originally published in Cancion Magazine. 

Gina M. Perini

Chair of the Board of Directors & Chief Executive Officer