Fake Calls and Caller ID Spoofing Explained

Phone crime and fake calls have been on the rise in 2022, and the trend is expected to continue in 2023 3. Scammers are using both old and new tricks. To avoid being scammed yourself, It's important to stay informed on their tactics.

One of the most common methods that scammers use is called caller ID spoofing. Chances are, you’ve probably received an unwanted robocall. However, it’s important to know that these robocalls aren’t just annoying and inconvenient; they can be dangerous. In the last year, scam attempts were higher than they’ve ever been before - having increased by 116% from 2021.

Scammers will try their best to look legitimate, and if they don’t succeed, they may become aggressive or even more deceptive. No matter what, rest assured that these scammers will always be one thing: relentless. As long as they keep making money, they’re not going to stop.

What is caller ID spoofing?

Caller ID spoofing is when a caller pretends to be someone else in order to scam the person they’re calling. They will falsify the information transmitted to your caller ID display, posing as a number that seems familiar to trick you into answering. They will then use this to trick the person that answers into handing over money or information.

The best way to protect yourself from phone number spoofing is to get a good understanding of the practice and what to look out for. Don’t let a scammer take advantage of you; instead, stay one step ahead of them and remain vigilant.

What is a spoof call?

A spoof call is when a scam caller tries to pass themselves off as someone they’re not. In most cases, they try to pass themselves off as someone you may trust, like a legitimate, well-known business or a government entity. Once you answer the phone, the scammer will most likely try to get you to divulge private information or send cash.

Here are a few common examples of phone scams:

1. Bank Account Scams

Someone may call and pretend to be a representative from your bank, claiming there’s a problem with your account and that they need your bank information to solve it.

2. Government Scams

A scammer may pose as a government representative and claim that you will face the consequences or miss out on a reward if you don’t share your Social Security Number or other valuable information.

3. Unpaid Tax Scams

Someone will call and claim that you need to pay an unpaid tax bill immediately to avoid being arrested or fined.

4. Tech Support Scams

A scammer calls you and claims there is an issue with your computer. They may try to charge you for false repair services or, if you give them remote access, will install malware or other malicious programs onto your system.

These types of scammers almost always use the phone number spoofing technique, which means that it appears that their call is coming from a local number or from an agency that you trust.

In every case of call spoofing, the caller is trying to disguise their actual identity. They are covering up their real phone number to gain your trust and commit fraud - with you as the victim.

Why has there been such a big increase in the amount of call spoofing?

You might have noticed that the number of call spoofing and spam calls in recent years has increased dramatically. This is thanks to a few factors in our current digital landscape.

It’s important to note that such calls are practically untraceable. This makes the act of call spoofing very alluring for people who want to commit crimes and scam you out of money or valuable information.

Spam calling is also very profitable for those carrying out the act - whether they are call spoofing or a legitimate telemarketing business.

Phone number spoofing and the number of spam calls are also on the rise because the legal matters surrounding these concepts still need to be clarified.

While that may sound daunting, there are still solutions available - and it starts by changing the approach to spoof calls and spam calls. Because the legal atmosphere won’t change overnight and the phone scammers can’t be turned off with a switch, it’s up to consumers to learn the right behaviours on how they can keep themselves safe from phone number spoofing and other such scams.

What happens if you pick up a spoofed call?

If you answer a spoofed call, that alerts the scammer that your phone number is active - and this, unfortunately, only encourages them to continue calling your number.

Oftentimes, when you pick up, you’ll hear an automated message that will most likely demand money or threaten fake consequences for a false scenario. Some skilled scammers will even connect you to a real person who will do their best to get cash or information from you under false pretences.

Whether you talk to a real person or a robot, the scammer will most likely apply pressure and the threat of intimidating consequences if you don’t pay while on the phone with them. They may use real people’s numbers to carry out this attack. This can lead to difficult conversations with the person whose number they’re using. If you were called by a spoof number and texted that number back, the person who’s legitimately behind it may have no idea that their number is being used for nefarious purposes.

How to recognise phone number spoofing

Knowing how to recognise spoofed numbers is the best way to protect yourself from being scammed by them. Here are some tips:

1. Be Skeptical

If a number isn’t saved in your contact list, don’t automatically trust that they are who they say they are. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a government entity or a company representative, hang up and dial the company’s verified number to see if it was actually them who made the call.

2. Password Protect Your Voicemail

Unless your voicemail is properly protected by a password, scammers are able to hack into it to steal personal and financial information.

3. Don’t Answer Unknown Numbers

Even if a number is from a local area code, don’t answer it if you’re not familiar with it.

4. Don’t Press Any Buttons

If you answer the call and they ask you to press specific buttons, hang up on them.

5. Stay Vigilant

If you answer a call and the caller’s tone of voice seems aggressive, pushy, or demanding, be wary. Scammers often try to make a situation seem urgent so the victim feels pressured to go along with what they’re requesting.

If the caller says that they need your information for an event or product you’ve never heard of, don’t give provide any information without checking their validity.

Don’t answer any questions regarding personal information like your credit card number, your mother’s maiden name, passwords, or your Social Security Number.

6. Hang Up

If a call feels suspicious, trust your instincts and hang up. The longer you stay on the line, the more likely they are to gain information from you.

How can I tell if my number is being used for call spoofing?

You’ll often know pretty quickly if your number is being used for phone number spoofing. In many cases, a victim might redial the number that they were called by or scammed from. If this happens, the caller may reach your number - not the person who actually scammed them. Once you answer, you may be met with a not-so-pleasant response because the person calling believes you to be the one who scammed them. The victim of the scam call may believe you are the one who continues to harass them.

If you’ve received such a call, there’s a good chance your number is being used in a caller ID spoofing situation.

How can I stop my number from being spoofed?

If you suspect that your number is being spoofed, there are a few things that you can do. These include:

1. Inform Your Mobile Carrier

Let your mobile carrier know about any suspicious activity that might be happening related to your number.

2. Amp Up Your Security Settings

Both iPhones and Androids have settings that can limit your system to only receiving calls that are in your address book; this can stop scammers from using your phone number to spoof.

3. Set/Change Voicemail Password

If someone is spoofing your number, they can most likely access all of your voicemails, too.

Stay safe

Phone number spoofing is a serious situation, but there are ways to stay safe. The most helpful thing you can do to protect your information, your identity, and your money is to stay vigilant and don’t take anything a suspicious caller says at face value.

As long as you never give out valuable personal information over the phone, keep an eye out for pushy tones, and remember to avoid answering unknown numbers, you can protect yourself from caller ID spoofing scams.

Circles Life is proud to keep our customers up-to-date on all types of information related to phone number spoofing and other such telephone scams. When it comes to protecting your security, we are dedicated to keeping it safe.