Caller ID Spoofing Fraud Coming of Age?

Available for years to people with a specialized digital (ISDN PRI circuit), caller ID spoofing has been used by collection agencies, law-enforcement officials, and private investigators. The first caller ID spoofing service generally available to the public, Star38.com, went online in September 2004. Star38.com was the first service to allow spoofed calls to be placed from a web interface. It stopped offering the service in 2005.¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caller_ID_spoofing))

The FTC has posted this on whether ID Spoofing is legal:

Under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit any person or entity from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value.  If no harm is intended or caused, spoofing is not illegal.  Anyone who is illegally spoofing can face penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation.  In some cases, spoofing can be permitted by courts for people who have legitimate reasons to hide their information, such as law enforcement agencies working on cases, victims of domestic abuse or doctors who wish to discuss private medical matters.³https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id

A quick check of Google reveals there are several internet caller ID spoofing services with adverting pitches like “Fake Calls » Call ID Spoofing describes the method to make fake calls with any number you want to set for a sender. Get the ability to change what someone sees on their caller ID display when they receive a phone call from you and play amazing phone pranks”((https://www.spoofcard.com/features

It is easy to spoof caller ID and text messages from your cell phone. Just load an app from Google play like “Spoof Call Fake Caller Id”. Calls can instantly be sent directly “to a person’s voicemail, in order to avoid an awkward conversation, but still make it appear like you called.”²https://www.spoofcard.com/features

I got interested in this subject from recent experience. When I closed my office, I brought my telephone equipment home. Most of my law firm phone numbers still work but are answered by an automated attendant. To reach me, the caller must navigate a lengthy tree and find the personnel directory, so I rarely get a call. One morning I got six calls in a row. They all wanted to know why I called them. I told them I had not called but few believed me. One had been dunned for a non-existent student loan. Another was so convinced I was lying she said she was sending the police to arrest me no matter what I said.

This can be dangerous. Imagine if you get a voice mail from your bank’s consumer fraud office with an urgent message that your pin and debit card number had been hacked. Please call back and reset the pin and the bank will send a new card or you can go to resetmypin.com. You call back on the 800 number only to be left to hold for half an hour waiting for a fraud specialist. Frustrated, you hang-up, go to resetmypin.com and fall victim to phishing.