Don’t bother tracing spoofers.
Though spoofers can sometimes be traced by your telephone company, it is often a time-consuming process. Tracing spoofers by yourself may take even more effort and time. In either scenario, the process is not guaranteed to yield accurate results.
Some of the ways in which people attempt to trace spoofers include performing a basic web search on the phone number, calling the number that is calling you, and calling the official number of the company the caller says they are from. Each of these techniques should be used with caution, as you do not want to accidentally reveal information in the process.
Performing a basic web search may allow you to cross-reference the number the caller is using and who the number actually belongs to. On occasion, this may reveal others who have received a similarly fishy phone call from a certain number. However, the better the scammer, the more likely they are to use new phone numbers after people start catching on to a specific one.
Another way to identify whether the caller is legit is to call the number on a separate phone while you have them on the line. If the line is engaged, they may not be a scammer. For any caller who identifies themselves with a certain company, be sure to look up that company’s official phone number. This can be done either through a web search, a phone book, or a statement, if it is a company you have an account with.
Protect your personal information.
Many of the tactics used by scammers are employed to gauge your vulnerability. Scammers want to know how receptive you are to revealing information so that they target the right people. Each of the tips mentioned below will help you protect your personal information and avoid being the target of caller ID spoofing:
Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you do, hang up immediately.
Don’t hit any buttons. If the caller asks you to, hang up immediately.
Don’t answer any questions, especially ones regarding your personal information.
Never reveal personal information, such as your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, passwords, or credit card numbers.
Don’t assume they are who they say they are. If you receive a call from somebody representing a company or a government agency, hang up and call back the phone number on the company or agency’s website. This will help verify the caller.
Don’t put your trust into the caller until you can assure they are who they say they are.
Don’t panic. Social engineers will see this as vulnerability and try harder in their attempts to manipulate you into revealing personal information.
Set a password for your voicemail account. A scammer could hack into your voicemail if it is not properly secured with a password.
Notifying the FCC, the FTC, or even your local police department may ultimately be your best bet at protecting your personal information. Other best practices for stopping unwanted calls include filtering calls and blocking spam numbers. Filtering or blocking a number is different for iOS users and Android users, but both essentially involve pulling up your settings, and then selecting some sort of “block contact” option. Your carrier may also provide additional methods of stopping unwanted calls, such as Verizon Mobile’s Call Filter app.
People repeatedly targeted by spoofing scams may want to contact their carriers to change their phone number. Some carriers, such as Verizon Mobile, allow customers to pick a new number online for free. Customers can simply login to the My Verizon app and change their mobile number. While this may temporarily stop your phone from receiving any further scam calls, it is not foolproof. The steps mentioned above detailing how to prevent attacks must be followed now more than ever.
