By Kelly Youngblood
Lately, I’ve been noticing an increase in phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize, but they appear to be local.
So I answer the call and then discover it’s either a live telemarketer or a robocall- a prerecorded telemarkteting message.
Ugh! I’ve been spoofed again! Phone spoofed that is.
Phone spoofing isn’t new but according to the Federal Communications Commission, it seems to be happening more frequently.
“It appears to be on the rise as a result of technology making it easier to do and cheaper,” said Will Wiquist, Deputy Press Secretary of the FCC.
According to the FCC, spoofing occurs when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.
Wiquist said a spoofed call probably looks like the caller ID is from a legitimate caller and/or the number may appear to be local when it in fact originated from overseas.
The purpose is to trick someone into answering the phone and then gain personal information that could be used in “fraudulent activity or sold illegally.” Phone spoofing is used to increase the “effectiveness” of a scam.
There are some cases where spoofing is allowed- for instance, law enforcement agencies working on a case, domestic abuse victims, and doctors wanting to keep patient information private have legitimate reasons to “hide” their identity. Spoofing is only illegal if there’s “intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value.”
The FCC recommends the following tips to avoid phone spoofing:
- Don’t answer calls from unknown callers.
- If you do, don’t say anything or hit a button as that can give the caller a clue that you are a real person and a good target.
- File a complaint with the FCC. Here is a link that explains how to do that.
- Ask your phone carrier if they have call blocking services.
- Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
- If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency seeking personal information, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request.
- Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
- If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voice mail if you do not set a password.
Wiquist said the Commission is working hard to address this problem both through enforcement – nearly $200 million in proposed fines in recent months – and changes in policy to improve the ability of industry to help consumers identify and block unwanted and potentially scam calls.
For more information about phone spoofing, go here .