CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AT&T and TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) are now offering outgoing calls for businesses that display a brand name and logo on the receiver’s phone – with two new features to improve consumer trust:

• Recipients no longer need a special app on their mobile device to see the caller’s brand logo.
• The branded calls with logos are verified with STIR/SHAKEN, a set of standards used to help confirm the number has not been illegally spoofed.

Both of these are industry firsts for branded call displays, thanks to TruContact™ Branded Call Display, powered by Neustar®. If a business is participating in the program, AT&T wireless customers will be able to easily recognize and have more confidence in the identity of the caller.¹ This helps customers to decide more accurately which calls they want to answer.

“We’re obsessed with giving our customers secure and trusted calls, so we’re excited to work with TransUnion for a richer, more helpful visual experience,” said Erin Scarborough, AT&T senior vice president of Mass Markets Product Management. “And since we use STIR/SHAKEN verification, our customers will be able to connect with greater confidence to the brands they may want or need to connect with.”

Missed connections are bad for consumers and businesses alike, and consumers want more protection against unwanted calls and fraud, according to a recent TransUnion survey. Respondents said:

• 73% don’t answer calls from unknown callers because they assume it’s a robocall where someone is trying to sell them something.
• 73% have declined to answer a phone call due to safety/fraud concerns and learned afterwards that it was a legitimate call.
• 58% received important phone calls to their mobile phones in the past three months they didn’t answer because they didn’t recognize the caller.
• 76% would be likely to answer calls from businesses they use if the companies displayed their name and logo on the calls.
• 57% indicated “verification the call has not been spoofed” is a top feature.
  

“The delivery of Branded Call Display logos represents the culmination of years of collaboration between AT&T and Neustar, now part of TransUnion,” said James Garvert, TransUnion senior vice president and general manager, TruContact™ Communications Solutions. “We have delivered Caller ID for landlines, evolved to the first generation of branded calling, and now we’ve set the stage for Branded Calls Display logos. This is helping restore trust in the phone to protect enterprises and consumers alike.”

Business customers can visit TransUnion to learn more about TruContact™ Branded Call Display. AT&T wireless customers don’t need to do anything. Logos will appear on incoming calls from participating businesses and organizations.

¹ _{On Android devices, branded logo appears when the phone rings, and it also appears in the call details page after the call is missed. On other operating systems, branded logo appears if the phone is unlocked or facial recognition is engaged.}

About AT&T
We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good^® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business