The Credit Counseling Professionals

Caller Id Spoofing

Caller Id Spoofing is the latest scam to target consumers in their homes. A recent ABC News report revealed yet another tool that thieves are using to scam unsuspecting consumers. It’s called Caller Id Spoofing, and it requires almost no special skills or equipment to pull it off. How is it done? The thieves just call you over the phone. The trick is in the caller ID.

Anyone can now choose the phone number that will be displayed or “spoofed” on your caller ID. Caller Id Spoofing services and software are available legally. The service or software will allow anyone to determine what phone number they want to display. Some services even offer to disguise the voice of the caller and record the conversation. There are legitimate purposes for these services, such as secret shopping, or calls from battered women’s shelters. Several states have made it illegal to mislead, defraud, or deceive the recipient of the spoofed phone calls. It’s also illegal in some states to record a conversation without the recipient’s consent. However, none of these rules matter to the thieves who are trying to empty your bank accounts.

Here’s an example of how Caller ID Spoofing Works:

Your phone rings. You look at the caller ID and it reads the name of your bank and their phone number. You answer the call and the person on the other end clams to be a representative of the bank warning you of an issue with your account. They sound just like a typical customer service representative, and all seems normal. They proceed to ask you to verify your account information (account number, social security number, PIN number, etc). The truth is that they could be calling from anywhere and, once they get your info, they can access your accounts and wreak havoc on your finances.

Even though many people are on the lookout for phony phone calls, the spoofed number has made this seem like a legitimate call. They’ve broken through one of your trusted security barriers. So how can you avoid this scam? Call the bank yourself. Don’t give out any of your personal information to someone who calls you, no matter how official they may seem. Just tell the person who calls you that you’ll call them back at the number on your caller ID. This way, you can be sure that you’re talking to a real representative. If there’s no problem when you do reach your bank, then you know you just avoided being spoofed.

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