READER WARNS OF CALLED ID SPAMMING

Forks Forum Staff

A reader who wishes to remain anonymous said she is receiving solicitation calls that display false caller ID numbers, calling the practice “spam on your phone.”

She said local numbers with 374 prefixes are displayed, and include numbers from public business offices. But when she answered the phone she was solicited by a satellite TV salesperson.

A complaint has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by the reader. She said she was advised by CenturyTel, the telecom company that provides local land line phone service in Forks, to call the FCC.
An Associated Press report from March, 2006 found on the msnbc.com online news Web site tells of a practice that’s being described as “caller ID spoofing.”

The article said the type of calls the Forks Forum reader is receiving used to require expensive equipment, but now can be done through online Web sites.

To disguise a caller’s actual phone number a virtual calling card is purchased, the buyer then dials into a toll-free number, punches in the number they wish to call, then the fake caller ID number. The bogus caller also has the option of using the technology to disguise their voice.

One criminal practice using the system is done by using a stolen credit card to purchase items over the phone. The correct phone number for the holder of the card is keyed in so the company contacted sees the call as coming from whomever the card was stolen from.

The report says whoever was “spoofed” will often call back the number shown on the caller ID and complain about the calls.
Spoof calling Web sites claim the service is a benefit, that users can hide their caller ID number when they makes calls.
On the Web: to file a complaint with the FCC go to www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html.