What Is Caller ID Spoofing?
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Reading Time: 6 min
Caller ID spoofing is when a caller uses technology to make their phone number appear as another person or business. A caller may do this for many reasons, such as to hide their identity, avoid unwanted calls, or make it appear as though a call came from a more trusted source.
In this article, we’ll be answering all questions, including what is caller ID spoofing.
Key Takeaways
- Caller ID spoofing allows individuals to mask their real phone number, making it appear as if the call is coming from a different source.
- This practice is commonly exploited by telemarketers and fraudsters to gain the trust of potential victims.
- Recognizing the signs of spoofed calls, such as calls appearing from your own number, is crucial for protection.
- Taking proactive measures, like refraining from sharing personal information, can help mitigate the risks of caller ID spoofing.
- Understanding how caller ID spoofing works enables individuals and businesses to better respond to and prevent potential scams.
What Is Caller ID Spoofing?
Who doesn’t like getting a call from a friend or family member? But what if the caller ID said it was someone else? Have you ever wondered what is Caller ID spoofing? Where does it start, and what does it mean for you?
Since your number can be stolen and used by criminals to launch spoofing attacks, phone number spoofing to mask caller IDs is an issue that affects the recipients of spoof calls.
Caller ID spoofing is a form of telephone fraud where someone masks their caller ID, often using a wireless caller, so that it appears to be coming from a different number. This can be done by using an online service or by manually changing the settings on your phone.
Unfortunately, unreliable telemarketers may alter the information on the Caller ID display (a procedure known as Caller ID spoofing) to misrepresent themselves and con Canadians into answering the call. For instance:
- It is possible to change the Caller ID to match the first six digits of your phone number to make the call appear local, possibly from a neighbor in your neighborhood, a practice known as “neighbouring.”
- The practice of “mirroring,” in which the Caller ID shows your phone number, is possible.
- The caller ID could show the phone number of another person or business (i.e., pose as a recognizable brand).
- It is possible to change the Caller ID to display a number that cannot be called on the phone network (e.g., 123-456-7890, 999-999-9999, etc.)
This fabrication aims to gain the victims’ trust and collect personal data for illegal purposes.
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Caller ID Spoofing Example: Real Life Attacks and Incidents
A bride-to-be lost roughly £12,000 of her life savings to fraudsters in April 2022. Someone was trying to “take money out of her account,” according to a call from her “bank.” The professional-sounding woman on the other end of the line persuaded the victim to make the payment because the phone number appeared to be from the bank.
Cases like this highlight the importance of knowing how to spot and stop caller ID spoofing on your number.
How Does Caller ID Spoofing Work?
Spoofing technology allows a caller to change the Caller ID information that appears on the recipient’s phone. It can display any number they wish, including numbers belonging to other people, businesses, and even emergency services. In some cases, it can also be used to alter the area code so that it appears that the call is coming from somewhere else entirely.
Telemarketers often use caller ID spoofing because they can use it to make their calls appear more legitimate by displaying local numbers instead of their originating location. This makes it harder for consumers to realize that they are being targeted with sales pitches rather than genuine inquiries about products or services. For starters, it’s important to ensure you’re using a reliable landline service as a customer so that no scammer can do this.
How Is Caller ID Spoofing Dangerous?
The following are some severe risks of caller ID spoofing:
Mitigating Negative Experiences
Customers frequently hold you responsible, regardless of whether a spoofing caller ID was utilized for illicit behavior.
Take immediate action to halt caller ID spoofing if your company name has been the subject of numerous fraud cases. Additionally, create efficient systems to handle phone calls, emails, and social media feedback, using tools like a voip auto dialer to streamline response workflows and reduce disruptions caused by spoofing incidents.
Wasted Resources
When you receive a call from someone who has spoofed their caller ID, it can be challenging to determine whether or not it’s a legitimate call. You may waste time and resources answering calls that shouldn’t have been answered in the first place. This can waste time and money that could have been spent servicing real customers instead of dealing with false leads.
Financial Frauds
There have been many cases where criminals have used this service to trick people into giving away their money or personal information. They will make it seem like they are calling from a bank or another large company, so people think it is safe to give them their money or credit card details. If you give these things away, then there is no way for you to get them back again, so be careful when dealing with people who claim to be from big companies such as banks or credit card providers.
Customer Impact
Customers don’t like being deceived by businesses they trust because it impacts their trust in those businesses and your brand overall. When they feel they’ve been lied to, they may choose not to do business with you in the future, which could significantly hurt your bottom line over time!
Spoofed Phone Calls: What To Look for?
Several obvious indications might detect your phone number is being faked. You might observe the following if your spoof business phone number is being used to spam many prospective victims:
- Receiving calls or texts in response to interactions that you did not start.
- Incoming phone calls that seem to be coming from your number.
- Callers or messages who inquire about your identity.
- Unknown callers or texters who beg you to quit bothering them.
How To Stop Caller ID Spoofing?
There is no foolproof technique to stop a phone number spoofer from utilizing your caller ID because spoofing services frequently produce numbers at random. However, you can still do things to prevent scammers from using your number to commit crimes by employing deceptive social engineering techniques.
- Never give out your phone number or any other personal information unless required.
- Be cautious when entering online contests and giveaways.
- Carefully read the terms and conditions.
- Make sure consent forms enabling the sharing or selling of your data is unchecked.
- Tools like a progressive dialer can help enhance the efficiency of legitimate outbound calls while reducing the risk of spoofed numbers disrupting your workflow.
Final Words
Now it must be clear to you what is caller ID spoofing. Your personal and professional reputation can be saved if you understand how caller ID spoofing operates and how to prevent it. When you sense danger, do not answer calls from unknown numbers and immediately block them.
You might also want to keep yourself protected against other forms of spoofing threats like email spoofing, direct domain spoofing attacks etc that may have adverse effects on your reputation. Start with our definitive guide on email spoofing security.
DMARC can help protect against these attacks.
Domain & Email Security Expert at PowerDMARC
Ahona is the Marketing Manager at PowerDMARC, with 5+ years of experience in writing about cybersecurity topics, specializing in domain and email security. Ahona holds a post-graduation degree in Journalism and Communications, solidifying her career in the security sector since 2019.
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