About Spoofing Caller ID And Its Law

Caller ID spoofing is a technique that displays a different caller party number (CPN) on the recipient's caller ID system instead of the correct number of the caller. Although there are many legal reasons for using this technique, it is also done with fraudulent intentions and to bypass screening efforts. When people get pestered by persistent telemarketing calls, they normally screen those numbers and avoid those calls. In order to deceive such people into picking up the telemarketing calls, caller ID spoofing is used so that the recipient will think that the call is not from the screened number and will pick up the phone. The spoofing party only needs to use the right software to cause any telephone number to show up on the CID display.

Legitimate Uses Of Caller ID Spoofing

Spoofing of caller identification is not always illegal because it has many legitimate reasons for usage also. It is used by large companies in their call centers, and in their telemarketing departments. Caller ID spoofing is also used by bail bondsmen to locate people who have jumped bail, and by private investigators to locate people. Small business owners might want to display their office or business numbers when they are calling their clients from outside from their cell phone, and they do not want the clients to know their cell number.

Modern technology has now enabled callers to change their voice along with caller ID spoofing. You can have different preset voice pitches and choose the one that you want to use for a particular call. Most providers of spoofing also enable you to record the calls that you make. Some services also provide the facility of turning text to speech along with faking the caller ID. Similarly, a text message can also be spoofed with SMS spoofing. There are innumerable possibilities in this direction.

How Is Caller ID Spoofing Done

There are many ways of faking caller ID, but the most common way is to use Voice over IP or PRI lines. Another way is orange boxing, which uses software that generates an audio signal that connects to the telephone line during a telephone call. The other techniques are switching access to the SS7 network, and using the services of social engineering telephone company operators to make calls on your behalf from the phone number that you want displayed on the recipient's phone.

In view of the menace of some types of caller ID spoofing and in order to bring about relevant legislation, the US House Energy Commerce Committee has brought forward a bill for preventing telephone advertisers duping citizens with caller ID spoofing. The legislation is named "The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009", and is being sent to the US House of Representatives for a vote. Lawmakers have, however, endeavored to keep caller ID spoofing services intact for legitimate purposes, such as for law enforcement, national security, businesspeople and private citizens if they use them for legitimate purposes.

Several states have already passed laws similar to the above federal bill. These laws prevent spoofers from deceiving or defrauding the phone call recipients. Moreover, although caller ID spoofing is legal if it is used for the purpose of a joke, revenge, or prank they should not be harassing to the receivers. Facilities for recording of such calls are provided by the providers, but in some states it is illegal to record a phone call without the consent of all parties.

Caller ID spoofing has both legal and illegal usages. Faking caller ID is legal for law enforcement, national security and for business purposes, whereas it is illegal if it is used to harass people. Legislation in this regard is in the pipeline.