Caller ID Spoofing
“DO NOT HANG UP. THIS IS AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM YOUR DEBIT CARD PROVIDER.”
“THIS IS YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY, ETC.”
“WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU ABOUT YOUR CAR’S EXTENDED WARRANTY.”
“THIS IS A TRUSTED PHONE COMPANY, AND WE HAVE LEGITIMATE REASONS TO BE ASKING FOR VALUABLE PERSONAL INFORMATION, SUCH AS YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS, MOTHER’S MAIDEN NAME, AND TIMES YOU PLAN TO BE ON VACATION.”
These are scam scripts, and you’ve probably heard them a hundred times already. Scam scripts are quick and dirty ways to trick people into giving away personal information. Like wolves in sheep’s clothing, these unsolicited calls come out of nowhere, pretend to be legitimate companies, and try to pull a fraud on you by scaring you into giving up personal information. Unfortunately, it works on some people. We wouldn’t have a scammer problem otherwise. Be sure to prepare yourself the next time sketchy calls try to break into your peace of mind.
What is caller ID spoofing?
Caller ID spoofing is when scammers try faking, or “spoofing,” a real number. They may run a “neighbour spoofing” fraud that makes them look like a local number on the caller ID display. Some will even leave an automated voicemail, disguising themselves as an innocent telemarketer.
But if you receive unwanted phone calls or a mysterious text message, you’re more than likely dealing with a mass attempt at scamming.
Whatever you do, don’t give out any identifying information to the spoofing service. Unsolicited calls try to surprise you into making a mistake, but there’s no reason to be afraid if you’re prepared. No legitimate service provider would use a spoofed number and use scare tactics. When phone numbers you don’t know try to get into your inbox, hang up and report them.
Why is spoofing so prevalent?
Two main reasons contribute to spoofing’s success. First, it’s very easy to run a phone call fraud. Once a scammer has the know-how, it’s easy to mass-produce phone calls that reach thousands of people. There are even scammer farms, offices filled with people and computers who make unsolicited calls all day. Because of the convenience of setting up phone calls, it’s very hard to track them. Not to mention, even if they get found, there’s not much hardware required to pack up and go. All it takes is a few people and their laptops to drive somewhere else, and they can start it back up again.
The second reason why spoofing caller IDs works is that people don’t understand that it’s a robocall. Robocalls are designed to sound like legitimate businesses, mimicking them like a parrot mimics human speech. The messages are pre-recorded, and thousands of people get the exact same message. But to someone unfamiliar with technology, or unaware of how prevalent spoofing is, the “urgent text message” from an unknown number could persuade them to make a mistake. Due to the number of people who fall for the fraud, and how easy it is to start, spoofing is unlikely to leave anytime soon. Arm yourself with knowledge now, and tread carefully around phone calls and messages.
Is caller ID spoofing legal?
Spam calls are almost always illegal in nature. While you do hear from the occasional telemarketer now and then, most businesses have moved on from cold phone calls. Legal businesses would never use caller ID spoofing, either, since it requires lying about your location and purpose for calling.
In addition, spam calls can seriously interfere with people’s security and peace of mind. Due to the nature of the questions asked in spam calls, caller ID spoofing demands that you immediately give up personal information. That’s the classic con artist trick; if they can quickly escape with your money, they have time to run and hide. Stealing is illegal in any setting, whether it’s in person or over the phone.
The Federal Communications Commission has worked long and hard to eliminate scam robocalls. For example, the commission recently passed a set of regulations that will crack down on ID spoofing. These rules seek to solve spoofing’s biggest problem by requiring callers to implement an authentication framework into their systems.
This framework, better known as STIR/SHAKEN, is a set of two acronyms referring to a more secure way of handling phone calls. The phrase stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN). In English, that means each call will have to be identified and cleared by another channel before reaching people. In theory, this framework will prevent spoofing by stopping it before it reaches the customer. The system is kind of like getting another perspective on the call’s origin. It doesn’t mean it’ll catch everything, but this recent development, as well as several other proposed measures, are intended to stem the flow of fake robocalls and caller ID spoofing.
How do you stop caller ID spoofing?
The FCC has been trying to handle this problem for years. As mentioned previously, it’s difficult to track down and stop every scam caller. Robocalls aren’t easy to trace, and the scammers can relocate in the blink of an eye.
But you don’t have to take years of computer science courses and try to hunt them down. Regular people aren’t expected to take the law into their own hands because there are professionals ready to handle it. There are two primary defenses against robocalls.
The first thing to do is to stop yourself from giving away any personal information. It’s possible that the scammer has already learned some basic things about you (such as your region; they can see your area code, after all). But don’t be willing to give any other identifiers away. These people are frauds and are trying to exploit you for their personal wealth.
The best way to avoid this outcome is to hang up. Even if they attempt to call you again, keep hanging up, and don’t listen to whatever messages they may coerce you with. Do not press any buttons on your phone during the call, as this might charge your number with an international call fee and potentially give away sensitive information. Ignore and repel any attempts to give out personal information. Scammers can’t talk to you if you hang up, so it’s the best way to block their attacks. If you don’t recognize the number, consider hanging up, even if it’s one from your area.
How do you report suspected spoofing?
And secondly, report the spam call to a trusted authority. You don’t need to do this with every call. There are so many robocalls out there that it’s impractical to report each one. But if it keeps happening, there may be a way to stop most of the calls.
Part of the FCC’s mission in defeating scam callers is to work closely with you. If you or your business are getting tons of scam calls, there’s an easy way to report it to the FCC. At their complaints website, consumercomplaints.fcc.gov, there’s a quick online form to fill out. Describe the problem briefly and select a category that it falls under. Not only does this form allow you to call out robocallers, but it can also be used if regular businesses continue to call you after you’ve asked to be put on their “Do Not Call” list. Instead of filling out the complaint form, you could also call their phone number at 888-225-5322 and select option 4. Because of how available the FCC’s complaint center is, you don’t have to worry that no one will listen to you. You’ll have people standing by to give you help and avoid being left to the mercy of scam calls.
Outside the US? You can find help, too! Your country probably has a very similar system to the FCC’s, involving a complaint center and probably even a hotline. It will most likely show up under a search engine result, such as “how to report spam callers” or “prevent caller ID spoofing in .”
Whatever the case may be, you’ll find that there are tons of people out there who are just as annoyed about spam callers as you. It’s not a legitimate business. It’s not something that anyone wants to protect—on the contrary, tons of people would love to see these frauds decrease. If you’ve been experiencing tons of these calls lately, or if you or a friend have been scammed, report them immediately and seek the justice you deserve. There may always be more scam calls waiting, but you can do your part to report and reduce their numbers. Most importantly, don’t listen to their messages, don’t give out sensitive personal information, and hang up if you hear one.
Knowledge is power. By learning about spammers and fake callers, you get vital information on how to defend your privacy and peace of mind. Protect yourself and take steps today!
