Spotting Caller ID Spoofing

​Have you looked at your caller ID and thought you recognized the number, but when you answered, there was only a scammer on the other end? You’re not alone. You’re one of many victims of caller ID spoofing, the practice of making a telecomm network show a different name or phone number than the actual caller. It sounds like a prank, but spoofing is a huge component in many phone scams.

​According to the most recent estimates, Americans lost over $8 billion per year to these scams. Targeting both mobile phones and landlines, scammers spoof numbers to appear as government agencies, law enforcement, or even the IRS. Some scams place fraudulent charges on a victim’s account, and others trick people into disclosing personal information. In a growing strategy known as “neighbor spoofing,” scammers use fake numbers with local area codes to increase the likelihood that you’ll answer the call.

​Surprisingly, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that caller ID spoofing is not technically illegal. The Truth in Caller ID Act prohibits any person or entity from transmitting misleading information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value. If there’s no actual harm, telemarketers can spoof to their hearts’ content.

​There are legitimate uses for caller ID spoofing: healthcare providers and law enforcement organizations may use it to prevent patients or suspects from seeing their direct contact information. Business people sometimes use tools like Google Voice to hide their personal numbers from clients. But, too often, a spoofed call is the starting point of a successful scam.

Here are some tips to help you defend against spoofs and scams:

• Avoid answering calls from numbers you don’t recognize, even if they appear to be local. If the call is important, they will leave a message.
• Get a call-blocker device for your landline and/or download call or spam-blocking applications. Many carriers also offer this service directly.
• Never give out personal information to a caller you don’t recognize. Trust us, the IRS won’t call you about your refund and the police won’t call to make certain you pay your payday loan.
• If you start receiving calls from other people asking why they were contacted from your number, notify your carrier that your number is being used for spoofing. Many carriers also allow you to set up additional security to prevent this.
• Enter your frequently used numbers into your contact list so they come up correctly on your caller ID. If you receive a call from a familiar number or business that seems odd, hang up and call them back.
• If a pre-recorded call asks you to press a button, don’t do it. You could be authorizing unwanted charges. At the very least, it confirms your number is good, so they can bother you with more calls.

​Finally, list your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. While it won’t stop scammers, it will cut back on telemarketing calls.