Crooks use Caller ID as a scam tactic
Posted January 6, 2011 8:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The holidays are over and it appears even the telephone scammers are back in business, trying to separate you from your money. The latest trick crooks are using to fool people has to do with Caller ID.
One woman says a guy recently called her up, claiming to be her son. The number on her Caller ID had a 604 area code. Luckily, she didn’t take the bait.
Shawn Hall with Telus says the tactic is called “ID spoofing.” “This is a so-called service that some companies out there offer, where you can call in to them from any number anywhere in the world and you will change your Caller ID signal and then send it out to who you want to call to. So, I could call you as if I’m say, from the White House.”
Hall says many of the scammers are from outside of Canada, making it almost impossible to track them down and lay charges.
