Executive Director / Senior VP
Industry Traceback Group / USTelecom - The Broadband Association
Josh Bercu is the Executive Director of the Industry Traceback Group (ITG) and Senior Vice President, Policy at USTelecom—The Broadband Association. Through the ITG, Josh leads an effort to identify the source and ultimately stop illegal calls. In his USTelecom role, Josh leads USTelecom’s policy development and advocacy on numerous digital trust and consumer protection issues. Josh served on the Steering Committee of the Aspen FSP Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention and co-lead its information sharing working group. Josh also served as a co-lead of the FTC Scams Against Older Adults Advisory Group’s Technology and New Methods Committee. Before joining USTelecom, Bercu was a partner at Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, a top boutique telecommunications law firm based in Washington, D.C.
Tuesday Jun 9
3:45pm - 4:30pm
Retailers are facing an alarming surge in phone‑based scams, fueled by increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics and the expanding reach of organized retail crime. Recent industry data shows that 70% of retailers experienced rising phone scams in the past year, marking one of the sharpest increases across all fraud categories. This session examines how criminals are exploiting phone‑based impersonation, AI‑generated voice technology and caller ID spoofing to deceive both customers and front-line retail employees. Panelists will also explore how phone scams act as gateways to broader fraud, including account takeovers, fraudulent returns, BOPIS exploitation and coordinated ORC activity targeting store teams. Attendees will leave with actionable insights into how retailers can strengthen defenses through cross‑functional fraud and AP collaboration, improved call verification processes, employee training and emerging AI‑based authentication technologies.
