Coast Guard responses to citizens’ mayday call are expensive, sometimes up to a quarter million dollars. Often they put guardsmen’s lives at risk. That’s why fake distress calls from pranksters have become a major concern. One anonymous caller cost the Coast Guard half a million dollars by making 28 false calls. That prompted Coast Guard officials to contact Rita Singh, a speech scientist at Carnegie Mellon University. She tells Federal News Radio’s Eric White on Federal Drive with Tom Temin how she hopes to help catch fake mayday callers.

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