How secure, branded calls can help solve the government trust gap

Federal agencies have made significant strides in securing their “digital front doors.” But a massive vulnerability channel remains hidden in plain sight: the humble telephone.

Despite the rise of AI chatbots and secure portals, the phone remains an essential tool for government interaction. According to Scott Straub, senior director of public sector market strategy at TransUnion, 70% of consumers still turn to their phones for complex issues that digital FAQs cannot resolve.

However, this reliance has created a crippling paradox, Straub said in a recent Scoop News Group interview. Because spam mislabeling, robocalls, call spoofing, and impersonation scams have become so ubiquitous, the public has been conditioned to ignore calls, even when the caller ID appears legitimate.

This skepticism isn’t just a nuisance; it increases costs and erodes the efficiency of core government programs — from law enforcement to veterans’ services — by driving down engagement and forcing agencies to make repeated or unnecessary outbound calls to complete government transactions.

Straub cited an example of a phone message he received right before the interview from a caller claiming to be from a government agency to claim property he supposedly forfeited from a state Straub never resided in.

“I know this call is fake, but not everybody does. But as customers get these kinds of calls, it erodes overall efficiency for many government agencies,” he said. The situation is growing worse as fraudsters turn increasingly to AI-assisted, deep fake technology to disguise accents or impersonate family members.

The importance of branded calling

Straub emphasized the importance of agencies leveraging technologies like TransUnion Branded Caller Display (BCD) to build trust with constituents. Rather than appearing as an anonymous or “spam risk” number, BCD allows an agency to display its name, official logo, and the reason for the call directly on a constituent’s mobile display, which reaffirms that the call has been authenticated.

He highlighted a transformative use case with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA piloted and then rolled out BCD technology for its Solid STAR program, which assists veterans transitioning to civilian life. This shift in presentation helps validate the agency’s identity and rebuild the “trust equation” necessary for effective service delivery, he explained.

The results, he said, were dramatic, leading to:

• A 65% increase in contact rates
• A 20% increase in answer rates
• A 35% decrease in outbound call volume

Three pillars for improving engagement

Straub outlined a series of steps agencies should consider to modernize their outbound voice calling strategy:

• Assess outbound calls to determine if they’re being mislabeled as spam, blocked or spoofed, and if legitimate calls are being delivered.
• Implement branded calling so constituents know who’s calling.
• Leverage call authentication to ensure rich call content like logo and reason for the call is securely delivered, reducing the chances of spoofing.
• Partner with a trusted vendor like TransUnion, which provides caller ID coverage for 90% of the U.S.

The rise of phone fraud

Straub concluded that government leaders need to recognize that phone fraud is following the same trajectory as digital identity theft did 15 years ago. As criminals use AI and deep fakes to spoof official numbers, agencies can no longer afford to treat the phone as a legacy, “set-and-forget” channel.

To serve the public effectively, agencies must move toward a model of mutual trust, he added. This means not only verifying who the constituent is but proactively proving to the constituent that the agency is who they say they are. By partnering with a trusted vendor offering authenticated branded calling solutions, the public sector can transform a popular communications channel into a trusted tool that helps improve engagement, enhance the constituent experience and reduce fraud.

Learn more about how TransUnion’s Public Sector solutions help agencies restore trust and eliminate phone fraud at TruContact Trusted Call Solutions.

This executive video interview and summary article were produced by Scoop News Group for FedScoop and underwritten by TransUnion.