What is Caller ID Spoofing and Why it is Being Used by Scammers?

What is Caller ID Spoofing and Why it is Being Used by Scammers?

Caller ID spoofing is a technique used to change the phone number seen on a caller ID. It is being used by scammers or cybercriminals to steal their victims' personal and financial information and hard-earned money. The scammers use caller ID spoofing technology to imitate the phone numbers of trusted local businesses or government agencies! Caller ID spoofing is also used by pranksters to trick people into believing someone else is calling them.

If someone spoofed a telephone number, it doesn't mean that he/she has been hacked and hackers have gained access to his/her phone or account. Or, it doesn't mean that the account of the owner of the telephone number that was spoofed account has been compromised.

Here is a scenario where a scammer can rip-off his/her victim using Caller ID spoofing scam.

Your phone rings and to your surprise, you notice on the caller ID that your bank is calling you. You must be wondering to yourself what has happened. Scammers do this in the hope of you answering their calls. Upon answering you will hear a message from a computerized voice asking you to verify your credit card number for an opportunity to lower your credit card interest rates.

This type of scam is used to steal credit card information or online banking account credentials. Scammers also spoof telephone numbers from Microsoft and other large organizations and pretend to be technical support representatives.

What to do if you have received a spoofed call:

  • Once you have recognized this scam, end the call. Do not carry out any instructions given to you by the caller.
  • With the rise in technology do not trust every caller id that you see. Scammers can use these to display any number they wish. If you have any doubt about the person with whom you are speaking with please call the company that was impersonated at a known published number to verify if they had called you.
  • Never provide your credit card, banking information or social security number over the phone to anyone who calls you. Safeguard your information.
Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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  • June 26, 2019 at 10:29 AM by an anonymous user from: Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    I've been getting literally dozens of calls from random numbers identified only as small towns all over the state of Virginia. NOMOROBO blocks them, but they show up in my Recent Calls list. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the purpose would be to spoof phone numbers like this. They don't display as anything but the name of the city.

  • December 12, 2017 at 7:43 PM by info

    Receive via email:

    "Hey,

    I read your article, "What is Caller ID Spoofing and Why it is Being Used by Scammers?" and wanted to reach out because I think everyone has had enough of these tricks.

    While neighbor-spoofing is a serious and growing problem, it’s actually one that we have solved for your readers. RoboKiller automatically blocks robocalls and telemarketers even if they spoof a local number. At the same time, it fights back, by answering spammers with "Answer Bots" that find the humans behind the calls to waste their time, not yours.

    If you have time, check out some of our recent video coverage that shows how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=Cc9hRJAcV4k

    You can also hear RoboKiller Answer Bots in action at: http://www.robokiller.com/#radio."

  • June 2, 2017 at 7:41 AM by an anonymous user from: Newton, Illinois, United States

    My caller ID is being used to make scam calls. What can I do to get this stopped. My phone carrier tells me there is nothing they can do stop this. They say just ride it out.

    • June 2, 2017 at 9:38 AM by info

      If your phone carrier cannot help you, no one can.

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What is Caller ID Spoofing and Why it is Being Used by Scammers?