Slashdot Mirror
Handling Caller ID Spoofing?
An anonymous reader writes "A nice little old lady I know has had her number spoofed by some car warranty scammers. They're calling hundreds of potential victims per day pretending to use her phone number, and the angry ones call her back; some of them have even left death threats. She's terrified. Some well-intending anti-telemarketing folks have posted her address on the 'net as well. How can we figure out where these scammer bastards are, and what's the state of the current legislation to prevent caller ID spoofing? I called the FBI in Boston (near where she lives) and they said they can't help. She's called her phone company, but they said they can't help either. She's had the same number for over 50 years and doesn't want to change it." If the Feds can't or won't handle it, what's the best approach here?
Well good grief, the two exact entities who are supposed to take care of this kind of thing refuse, then just what is going on in this country?
I'd just call them both a few more times to see if there's anywhere to get, it's very clear laws have been broken.
"Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
Bring the news media in on it, somebody a little more mainstream than Slashdot.
Then start making threats, and if the phonecalls are inter-state commerce it is a federal issue. Back them up against a wall and force them to act.
The call can quite easily be traced back to where it came from -- even if it's voip in nature, at very least you can find the originating carrier and they can deal with their customer.
We run a very popular VoIP service (http://ironvoice.com) and tightly control caller id in a manner that still gives our customers flexibility but still imposes responsibility.
The FBI can certainly help, that's bogus. The phone company can certainly help, that's bogus as well. The phone company knows from which carrier the call came from and so on and so forth until they can pin down the offending carrier.
Legislation isn't the answer -- customer service is.
You can use http://whocalled.us/ to coordinate investigation. Even though the number is spoofed, as long as they are using it consistently it is still an identifier. As everyone shares facts they discover it's possible to find the true identity.
Caller ID spoofing has become a real problem, but political representatives are too busy flashing around fake solutions to hyperinflated problems, like throwing more money at stopping the 9000 pedo penises from raping children over the internets.
If anyone has a technological solution, please post it, as we have more of a chance of fixing this stuff as engineers than the politicians do as legislators.
Why should she change her phone number for goodness sake? She has done nothing wrong. She's had that number for over 50 years. Seriously, you should be outraged against those who have actually done wrong here, not suggesting she take the rap herself.
Why should she change her phone number for goodness sake?
Even if the perpetrators are caught, she may still have to change her phone number, so she should probably consider just doing it now. Now that her number has been associated with the scammers, the effects may linger for a long time.
Why not, for the immediate future, setup her voicemail to answer after 1 ring, and set the voicemail message to something like "This phone number is being falsely used by a telemarketing company as their caller ID. Please call your local phone company and tell them you have received a telemarketing call using an hijacked caller ID entry.". If you can find out the actual company doing it, I'd throw their real phone number and company name in their too, just for good measure. At the very least, people will know not to leave a nice elderly lady death threats, and hopefully your phone company will take notice and track down the offending telemarketers and cut their "lines" off. I'd bet the voicemail volume drops significantly, legitimate ones get through and leave a message, and you'll probably hear a few less death threats against grandma.
Wisest is he who knows he does not know.
Being in the right does not mean you don't get hurt.
Sometimes bad people get away with things, and there's nothing you can do to get them back. You just have to do the best you can to protect yourself, and changing your phone number is a relatively minor thing to do to end this.
Do you have proof that they are indeed the company responsible?
I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing. -- Thomas Jefferson
How do we know this is the company and not just someone who pissed off "Lookin4Trouble"? That's the problem with vigilante Justice. Vigilante's don't always check the facts, neither do slashdot editors for that matter.
TODO create witty sig.
"Hello?"
"You ^&*% fraudster! How dare you call me and #$%^@^$ demand my money!"
"Call the FBI for me. Please."
"What?"
"No, I'm serious. The Boston FBI specifically. I'll give you the number if you want..."
After you've woken them up with that shock, you can give your sob story. Might work. Might not. I think most of them will come to their senses. At least it will alleviate and redirect some of the anger of the callers. On the plus side, it might tick off the FBI, but they can't blame you for all the calls they'll be getting. (I know religion on Slashdot is taboo, but you might refer to the parable of the unjust judge: Luke 18:2-5) I would also recommend contacting a lawyer.
I won't join Slashcott. OTOH, If Beta goes live, I just won't be back until it's fixed. Sorry Dice.