smrtPhone is rolling out increased security measures, some of which impact clients. Don’t worry, it is fast and easy!
The telecom industry is a constantly evolving space, with new rules and regulations that every service provider must comply with. smrtPhone tries to go the extra mile when it comes to compliance and security because it’s a core tenet of our brand.
We want our clients to follow FCC and carrier rules, not only for our sake but for the sake of our entire ecosystem staying secure and trusted, which directly benefits you. Verifying your identity is an important step in improving the deliverability of your calls and text messages and preventing service interruptions in the future.
Identity Verification
Starting in April, in accordance with FCC mandates, smrtPhone is requiring Account Owners to verify their identities. It’s a short, simple process that reduces scammers and spammers and allows us to focus more on the genuine customers who use our products.
By ensuring that our customers are real, and who they say they are, we’re creating a safer product for everyone. It’s important that our platform is used by legitimate businesses, for our sake and for all our loyal customers who benefit from our products. While compliance violations are at the sub-account level, there is a threshold where the FCC can eventually sanction smrtPhone as the parent organization, which could affect our other clients. This is something we want to avoid.
New clients have been doing Identity Verification for a month, and it’s been seamless. Now, every Account Owner with an existing account must verify their identity by April 12th, 2024 or restrictions, some involving call and text, will be placed on their entire account. We’ve created documentation to walk you through the process, and our customer support team is available, as always, to guide you through the process if needed. If you have multiple accounts, you must use your ID to verify yourself on each one.
How to Verify Your Identity
smrtPhone is using Stripe Identity to verify current and new customers. Stripe Identity is a leader in identity verification, built on the same infrastructure used for Stripe’s own risk and compliance program. Besides being ultra-secure, Stripe is quick and easy to use.
Select “Start Verification” from your smrtPhone Dashboard, and follow these easy five steps:
- Agree to Stripe’s Privacy Policy
- Scan the QR Code (or access the link via email, or copy the link)
- Send photos of your government-issued ID
- Take 3 selfies
- Submit verification
The process should take no more than 3 minutes, and we’re happy to assist anyone who experiences any issues (though we don’t foresee that happening often). You have two weeks to do the verification before limitations could begin.
Overview of smrtPhone Security and Verification Products
Identity verification is only the latest feature of smrtPhone’s dedication to security and anti-fraud measures. smrtPhone has built-in features that improve security, and our Trust Center is full of verification products that enable compliance, improve customer confidence, and ultimately help you connect to more people, every day.
STIR/SHAKEN
For US customers, registering your business is a separate process from identity verification. Registering your business can take longer for approval, and includes multiple verification products, such as STIR/SHAKEN.
So, what is STIR/SHAKEN? (besides a handy acronym for a much longer phrase: Secure Telephone Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs). This security protocol verifies that the Caller ID you display is, in fact, the number that is originating the phone call. It separates you from the scammers who “spoof” phone numbers or Caller IDs to look more legitimate than they are.
Via STIR/SHAKEN, every phone number is given a certificate of authenticity, so when a phone call is received by a carrier, it will check that the Caller ID information matches the info on the certificate. You are automatically enrolled once approved as a registered business in the Trust Center.
Though we cannot promise anything, this protocol can help reduce your chances of being marked as spam, and it makes it harder for a scammer to use your phone number in cases of fraud. Further, it is a federal requirement – and we want to keep you compliant!
A2P Messaging
We’re sure you’ve heard of A2P by now! We encourage you to read up on A2P 10 DLC regulations, but the general concept is that anyone doing business text messaging via a technology application must register as an authorized sender. 
smrtPhone is proud of leading the pack when it comes to enrolling clients in approved A2P registrations. Eventually everyone will have to do it, and those who don’t face hefty TCPA penalties and their messages not being delivered.
Registering for A2P 10DLC isn’t just a necessary roadblock to texting customers, it also improves deliverability and throughput (aka your messages will get delivered, quickly!), proves the credibility of your messages, and separates you from scammers.
smrtPhone is dedicated to helping our clients comply with federal and state regulations as much as we can – even though we don’t make the rules, we want to help you follow them.
CNAM
CNAM stands for “Caller ID Name” and it allows you to customize what shows up on a Caller ID display. Have you ever gotten a call from your dentist and it says the name of the practice, even though they’re not a saved number? That’s CNAM!
CNAM registration is free and available via smrtPhone’s Trust Center because it requires some vetting for approval. Much like STIR/SHAKEN and A2P10DLC, CNAM helps clients separate themselves from scammers, and increases trust with customers and prospects.
Learn how to get your Phone Numbers registered with CNAMs, and benefit from improved answer rates, and less likelihood of being marked ‘Spam Likely’, for free!
2-Factor Authentication
No matter how secure we keep your data, every business could benefit from an extra security layer to their password process. 2-Factor Authentication (or 2FA) is a security process in which users provide two different types of authentication factors to verify themselves.
The first step is entering a password, and the second step is either receiving a code via an authenticator app or an SMS to a phone number. Enabling 2FA for your account is great, and an Account Owner who makes 2FA mandatory across all users is even better (which smrtPhone makes easy to do).
Watch our Intro to Compliance video featuring our CEO Jordan Samuel Fleming, and check out our thorough documentation on Security & Compliance to learn about our products, and features, as well as tips and tricks on how to stay compliant and secure – while still making calls, sending texts, and landing deals.
As always, we would like to reiterate that our advice on compliance is not legal advice nor are they guarantees, and we recommend that you speak to a lawyer well-versed in your local and federal laws to make business decisions that are right for you.
