Caller ID Spoofing Becomes Easy

objekt writes "According to an article in USA Today, Caller ID spoofing has become much easier in the last few years. Millions of people have Internet telephone equipment that can be set to make any number appear on a Caller ID system. And several websites have sprung up to provide Caller ID spoofing services, eliminating the need for any special hardware. For instance, Spoofcard.com sells a virtual 'calling card' for $10 that provides 60 minutes of talk time. The user dials a toll-free number, then keys in the destination number and the Caller ID number to display. The service also provides optional voice scrambling, to make the caller sound like someone of the opposite sex."

Whatsa matter?

[PatTheGreat]

What's the major concern over ID spoofing? That people are going to be calling their friends, pretending to be from the White House (The number, by the way, is 202.456.1414)? I think spoofing is cool, but I don't think it's gonna have major impact on anything. When was the last time someone used caller ID as a end-all form of identification?

Re:Whatsa matter?

[Anonymous Coward]

The people that arent in the know are going to be giving up confidential information way more easily. Heck, if someone from the "police" call about a disturbance, what's the likelyhood of you reporting it.

But the real kicker is now I can get that girl I'm stalking to pick up her phone, cause she keeps screening me and all my friends numbers.

This might lower the value of caller ID...

[Yellow Crane]

I don't have caller ID, but I have a friend who does and loves it -- it is even set to display on the TVs, so they know if they want to pause TV/Movie "X" and answer the phone. They also don't answer an unidentified caller very often, which nixes most calls from phone sales comapanies -- and I would be willing to wager a few $$ that these companies would be more than willing to use the technology to get you to answer the phone. Same goes for people attempting to defraud the elderly and disabled.

However, if you could get the caller ID to display dirty messages and lewd jokes w/ punchlines, that would rock!

its not about friends

[nurb432]

its about people causing trouble for others, to hide their identiy. Such as a exspouse that has a restraining order, or scam artists " we are with the police, see even our caller ID says so".

People screwing with their friends isnt a reason to even care i agree.

This is disappointing

[sgent]

I hope the publicity doesn't curtial legitimate uses.

For instance, more than a few doctor's offices use caller ID spoofing to have call centers call patients to confirm / remind appointments.

These calls are legitmate, authorized in writing by patients, and spoofing is an integral part of doing the service. Patients tend to answer West Main Clinic (who is responsible for hiring the contractor), rather than ABC Call Services. Also, calling ABC Call Services to reschedule is usless as they can't make/change appointments.