| Caller ID and spoofing have been in the news lately | | | | credit collection agencies using spoofed caller ID to get |
| and a major provider of calling cards for spoofing | | | | people to answer their phones. It is a way to get |
| Caller ID systems, SpoofCard, was mentioned in a | | | | around a person’s ability to not receive calls from |
| recent major motion picture, Untraceable. We have all | | | | blocked or private numbers. |
| heard about throw away cell phones and blocking our | | | | Spoofing Caller ID has long been used by private |
| own Caller ID information for our outbound calls, but | | | | detectives and law enforcement in tracking down |
| using a spurious phone number for our regular phones | | | | fugitives and to make sure that their sting operations |
| is a rather recent innovation made possible by | | | | are not exposed. Police will call a list of people that are |
| technology. Caller ID is known as Caller Identification or | | | | wanted on warrants and told that they have won a |
| CID, but should be known more properly as Calling | | | | prize and need to come to a particular location to pick |
| Number Identification or CNID. It is a service offered by | | | | it up. If the phone number on the caller ID read New |
| telephone companies that uses the information logged | | | | York Police Department they would not get very |
| into your account and tied to your phone number (land | | | | many people caught up in their sting. |
| line, VoIP, or cell phone). The caller’s phone number | | | | If you are not interested in spoofing Caller ID you can |
| is transmitted to the recipient’s phone while ringing | | | | still block your number from other people seeing it on |
| and if the name that matches the phone number is | | | | their own Caller ID. Under FCC rules are telephone |
| available and the recipient’s phone has the Caller ID | | | | providers must offer a uniform, free and simple per line |
| service available the name will show up on the display | | | | blocking and unblocking methods. This is different than |
| as well. | | | | have an unpublished number. Your number will still |
| Caller ID has been used to track down prank phone | | | | appear in local directories and online if you have |
| calls, to avoid collection calls, telemarketers and other | | | | chosen not to pay the premium price for an unlisted |
| intrusions into your home or business life. With the | | | | number. Phone companies make a fortune on the |
| advent of spoofing companies this can lead to callers | | | | unlisted or private number fees they get from |
| becoming more evasive in the interest of reaching their | | | | consumers. |
| intended call recipients. I am aware of instances of | | | | |