Telecommunication fraud continues to grow exponentially, with reported losses in 2021 of $383 million in Canada¹ and a whopping $30 billion in the United States². There are several different types of spam calling and texting scams that have contributed to these losses. One of the most frequent is known as Call Spoofing.

Call spoofing refers to the altering of either the Caller ID (CID) phone number or Caller Name (CNAM) displayed to the person receiving the call. In some cases, caller ID spoofing can be used for legitimate purposes, such as call centres who have permission to do so. The call spoofing that we will discuss in this article, however, refers to spammers illegally replicating a CID without permission for illegitimate purposes.

The spammer's intention is to appear as a trustworthy and local caller or texter, so the recipient of the call will be more likely to answer and fall for whatever scam they are attempting. These scams usually involve the caller fraudulently impersonating government agencies or companies asking for personal information or money. In some cases, the caller may even specifically target senior citizens, pretending to be a grandchild or other family member asking for money.

Common Examples of Caller ID Spoofing

There are different ways a call like this may appear on your phone. Here are a few examples:

1. Neighbouring: The caller ID is displayed as the first 6 digits of the number it is calling. This gives the impression that it is a local call, potentially even from a neighbour³.
2. Mirroring: The caller ID is displayed to match the exact phone number it is calling⁴.
3. The caller ID is displayed as the number of another individual or recognizable organization to make it seem like the call is coming from them⁵.

Tips to Identify Call Spoofing

1. The text message or caller will give you a generic greeting rather than using your real name.
2. The caller may use a recording asking you to press certain buttons to continue the call. This helps them identify potential targets.
3. The caller acts as though there is an urgent situation that demands you give them money or personal information, including social security numbers/social insurance numbers, passwords, or credit cards.

Tips to Protect Yourself Against Call Spoofing

1. Avoid answering calls or returning missed calls from unknown numbers, even if they appear to be from a local caller.
2. Be skeptical, and if you feel suspicious during a call, hang up immediately.
3. Block the phone number to ensure they cannot call your phone again.
4. Report these calls to your phone provider, national anti-fraud centre, or the police.

How SIPSTACK Fights Fraud

Using the latest technology and machine learning, SIPSTACK's systems authenticates all activity in real time against variables that affect your security. When a carrier implements SIPSTACK's Risk Rating Score, they are able to customize a threshold for calls to pass through, based on their specific needs. At SIPSTACK we take an active role in ensuring we are building a secure and connected tomorrow. Contact us today to learn how you can protect yourself from spam.

References

^{1 https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
2 https://firstorion.com/2021-scam-call-trends/
3, 4, 5 https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/telemarketing/identit.htm}