Patent attributes
A central computer of a telecommunications company handles an incoming call from a caller. The telephone number of the caller is checked against a white list or blacklist and handled accordingly. If the caller is unknown, a question is played to the caller (optionally selected randomly) along with a number of possible answers. The answers are presented randomly, associated with random identifiers, etc. If the caller selects the correct answer then the call is routed to the receiver's telephone. If not, then the call is terminated or other action taken as specified. The incoming call may also be handled by a mobile telephone or computing device at the user's home or business. The mobile telephone may alert the user when answering the incoming call or wait until the question is answered correctly before ringing the telephone.
