I’m getting sick and tired of “Caller ID Spoofing“. 

Caller ID spoofing has been around for more than a decade. In essence, the caller doesn’t want you to know their true phone number so they electronically manipulate caller ID to display another number. Legitimately, if a company employee calls you, the company doesn’t want you to know the employee’s desk phone number but would rather you see the company’s main phone number on your caller ID. Makes sense. 

However, it is being widely abused now.

My personal beef is that some asshole marketing/spam company is making phone calls to 804-356-XXXX numbers, the same first six digits of my cell phone number, in a scam also known as “neighborhood spoofing”. The unsuspecting call receiver is more likely to answer the phone if it is from the same area code than if the call is from someplace like Utah or Montana or an 800/888 number.

This company started using my phone number about six months ago but is now more aggressive as I receive five or six phones calls daily from puzzled to irate owners of 804-356-XXXX numbers asking why I am calling them.

At first, I tried to explain that I did not make the call, that the call was made from another number but my number was spoofed to caller ID. Some listen, some cuss me out without listening to anything I can say, few understand. Now I don’t answer any calls from 804-356-XXXX numbers, probably missing some important call.

No telling how many calls are made using my spoofed number each day and I have no idea who the company is. 

I called my carrier, AT&T, and was told there is nothing they can do. They advised me that my only option is to abandon my phone number. I checked my call records and there are no calls to those numbers from my phone.

Even the FBI phone number is being spoofed. The fraudster calls your number and pretends they are the FBI. You look at caller ID and it says FBI. Holy shit!!! I think this has been done with the IRS number as well. 

Here is the FCC’s message on this subject.

I think I will take their advice and change my answering message.