Spoofing a neighbor's phone call.

  • +4
    Callee
    | 51 replies
    I have been getting many "If you want this, press 1" calls lately. The difference now is that the caller numbers have the same first 6 digits as mine. In other words, the callers seem to want me to think that a neighbor is calling. Does anyone in the 800notes have the same experience?
    Is it possible that some one spoof the numbers; or pretend to call from another country and show only the last ten digits; or the telemarketers/scammers bought many "local numbers" for their own use?  The first two scenarios are very disturbing since call-blocking these numbers will cut out calls from one's neighbors
  • +6
    Art Vandelay
    | 1 reply
    Yes, they are spoofing. I no longer answer calls coming from the same prefix I have, if I don't already know them.
  • +11
    MidNYteStorm replies to Callee
    Telemaggoters will display any given number these days and that includes your own number. It took a while, but I finally stopped answer calls from unfamiliar numbers.
  • +11
    Badge714
    | 4 replies
    You'll find there is a pattern to our nemesis. First you'll get a call from an area code that is not yours (727, for example), shortly thereafter you'll get one from an invalid area code (087, for example), then you get the call within your own area code & prefix. Our scammers just love to see exactly WHAT kind of number we will answer. I would put it at over 90% (guess) if it's within your own area code. As I block them I don't get too many in a month. I just check the log.
  • +5
    Bob replies to Callee
    | 15 replies
    A lot of scammers and and especially debt collectors will spoof local numbers using the same area code and the first 3 number exchange as your number - especially if you have been blocking or not answering certain numbers
  • +3
    Huh
    ....and I thought I was weird--- short, urban, mad at the world with a bunch of pets!
    At least I don't have a unicorn obsession!
    I was created like a Greg Gutfeld type character. Like him a lot :-)
  • +1
    Door2Door
    Let us get back on the subject. Spoofed calls using local area codes. I don't answer phone calls from numbers I do not recognize. Q. E. D.
  • +2
    William
    | 21 replies
    I suspect some of the ring-and-hangup-quick calls are from dialers looking for "out of service numbers" so they can spoof those numbers. Everytime a spoofed number appears here, it has also been reported to various scam-number-tracking groups who make those numbers available to services that block known scam callers.

    So to spoof a neighbor's area code they need out-of-service-numbers in the same exchange block. Otherwise they will be spoofing an already-assigned number.
  • 0
    Anonymous Too
    For over a year I have been receiving a phone call and the caller ID says my own phone number and my son's name! The first time this happened, I got scared, because my son does not live with me anymore, so how could my son be calling me from my own house land line? Was he calling me from the phone in the basement? Confused and worried, I answered the phone and realized that the caller was a scammer who had copied our phone number and my son's name into his caller ID. Now when the scammer calls me, I never answer.
  • +2
    tom replies to Callee
    same here.  and i've also gotten one or two "why did you call me?" calls, when the spammers used MY number in the callerid.  no, they didn't set up hundreds of phone lines in your area - it's all spoofed numbers. (and usually instead of the name it just has the phone number.)
  • +3
    tom replies to Art Vandelay
    one clue that they're "illegitimate": the name on callerid.  hardly anybody has their name set to be their phone number, so if you don't recognize their name, let them leave a message.
  • 0
    tom replies to Badge714
    | 1 reply
    the faked local calls are harder to block.  by just fiddling the last 4 digits, they have access to nearly 10,000 combinations that at least seem like real local numbers.  you can't block all local calls from the whole area code, and if you enter them singly, there are so many to choose from they can randomly vary the number, and never have to use the same number twice.
  • +2
    tom replies to William
    | 10 replies
    they don't care if the number is out-of-service.

    i've gotten angry calls like "why did you call me?", from strangers, when my (cell) phone log shows that i didn't, not even by accident.

    either the person misread my number (possible, but he more than likely just pressed the button on his phone to call me back), or the mofos spoofed my number (which is definitely active!) when calling him.
  • +2
    JoeMama replies to William
    | 1 reply
    Like I answered on the other thread where you proposed this idea, I don't think they actually care what number they spoof.  If you pick a random phone number out of thin air and call it, chances are it will be disconnected, which is why so many times people call back missed numbers (which are spoofed caller ID's from scammers) and the number shows disconnected.
  • +11
    Insidious
    | 7 replies
    I press 1 and pretend to be a half-deaf half-blind old man with Alzheimer's. I make them repeat every question three times saying what.... What? WHAT? SPEAK UP SONNY! and then I take 12 tries to read a credit card number. Then I say "Oh... oh dear... this card is expired I think - here, lets' try a different one. Okay... ya ready?"

    Then pretend to fall asleep and start snoring into the phone.

    Drives the moron at the other end of the phone INSANE.

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