How to prevent being scammed via phone calls using Certisfy

Just as we are plagued by data breaches because of our reliance on secrecy as our model of trust assertion instead of just-in-time information verification, we are similarly plagued by scams related to our inability to verify unknown contacts.

Calls, text messages, emails, etc from unknown sources are now a major source of scams, cyber extortion and such. As was demonstrated here, Certisfy stickers backed by cryptographic certificate signatures can address this type of trust problem too.

If for instance your doctor's office or other place of business that you have a legitimate business relationship with calls you, they can simply begin the message with a sticker code such as below. You can put that sticker code in the Certisfy app and verify the identity and related information, including for the contact source identifier (phone number, email address...etc).

If a message doesn't start with a verifiable sticker code, you drop it immediately, this effectively kills all such scams!!

A legitimate sticker will include the certificate-verified phone number that should match the number you received the call on; similarly if it is an email it should match the message source email address (email clients now generally prevent spoofing).

The sticker approach not only prevent scams but greatly unburdens the receiver since they simply need to use a code and the Certisfy web app to verify the contact, no elaborate internet sleuthing required.

Comments

From a secrecy model of information security to a usage authentication model

We continue to be plagued by data breaches, password and credit card dumps, healthcare records...etc. One of the reasons many of these breaches continue to be devastating and effective for cyber criminals is because our current information use infrastructure/architecture relies on secrecy as the primary mode for preventing the misuse of information. Secrecy simply means only the people who have the right to use a bit of information have access to it, when that assumption breaks down as it does with data breaches, the related information can lose some or all its value. For instance a compromised credit/debit card number means getting a new number. A compromised password database means changing the passwords...etc Secrecy has its use as a privacy preserving mechanism but is fairly flawed as an information usage authentication mechanism. The idea of secrecy as the mechanism for controlling the use of information is deeply ingrained, so much so that even people who should know better often

The dubiousness of digitized signature services

Notice I referred to "digitized" instead of digital, this is a very important distinction. These services essentially offer ways to transport handwritten scribbles into digital processes. They can be anything from attaching a Microsoft paint scribble or a scan of one written on a piece of paper, to custom font generation that makes your signature look like you are a former president of the united states. I wont mention any such services by name but if you've purchased a house or engaged in any sort of contract paperwork activity (leases..etc) you have likely encountered these services. Last I checked, one of these companies is worth north of $40B, no doubt reflecting the size of the market for such services. First, what is the purpose of any signature? as the name suggests, it is primarily to ascribe provenance to something, be it an abstract thing such as a legal agreement expressed in writing or a physical object such as a painting. We also use the notion of signature

Making Internet Information Trust An Inexpensive Commodity

Certisfy is a service that makes internet information trust a commodity. Think of all the services that entrepreneurs could create if it was easy and inexpensive to integrate information trust without first having a billion people sign-up to build organic trust or loads of VC money. Want to test drive? If you have a website, we can issue you a free sample certificate for personal use!!...Contact us via the info on the sticker above, we'll hand you a code to put on your site (domain validation!!) then issue you a cert once validated. Each certificate comes with the ability to create a free sticker that is good for a month or less; if you want longer lived stickers you'll need to get a payment method certificate and use that to pay for it. Let us know if there are questions!!

Certisfy - Bringing IRL trust to the web

Search This Blog