Caller ID Spoofing

CALLER ID SPOOFING

Think Caller ID is a fool-proof way to know who's on the other end of the line? Think again. New Internet telephone equipment makes it easy to change Caller ID information. So criminals can now call you, pretending to be employees of financial institutions or legitimate companies. If your Caller ID indicates a familiar name, you may disclose personal or financial information without realizing you are being scammed. Though legislation is in the works, this scam is so new, it is not technically illegal. It's hard to get a handle on how widespread identity spoofing is, but it's gone well beyond harmless pranks. The AARP Bulletin recently reported a scam in which people received fraudulent calls claiming they missed jury duty and asked for their Social Security number. The calls seemed legitimate because the telephone number of the local courthouse showed up on caller ID. Please remember that you should NEVER provide information over the phone unless you initiated the contact.

Don't give out personal information such as your Social Security number, driver's license number, credit card account number or bank account numbers over the phone.

Banks, credit card companies and government agencies don't call people asking them to confirm or update this kind of information. They usually contact people by letter.

If you think the call may be legitimate, ask the caller to send you a letter specifying the information sought. Or call back the business or government agency on your own. Get the phone number yourself.

"It's a new way to scam people, because people rely on caller ID." --Sid Kirchheimer (Author of "Scam-Proof Your Life" and the AARP Bulletin's Scam Watch columnist)

Article used by permission from the City of Lake Oswego