50+ Lifestyles

Telephone Spoofing Scheme

By Peggy Dykes
Community Relations Director
Milestone’s Area Agency on Aging

Typically, the Caller ID feature on your telephone lets people avoid unwanted phone calls. However, not everyone is who they say they are. “Spoofing” occurs when a caller deliberately disguises their identity by falsifying information transmitted to your Caller ID screen. This increases the likelihood that you’ll answer the phone.

This happened recently to a Milestones Area Agency on Aging client. They recognized the phone number and when they answered the phone, it was a telemarketing call.

• You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be careful about responding to any request for personal identifying information.
• Scam artists who use spoofing technology can pull off a wide range of scams designed to steal money or personal information. Be cautious of unsolicited calls from unknown callers—even if their caller ID information appears local.
• Never give out or confirm personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected callers. If you are suspicious, hang up immediately.
• To ensure you are not dealing with a criminal posing as someone else, hang up and place your own call. Look up the number of the organization that supposedly called you from a known source such as a phone book, invoice, or website.
• Don’t wire money or send money using a reloadable card. In fact, never pay someone who calls out of the blue, even if the name or number on the caller ID looks legit.

Even though spoof calling is prohibited by U.S. law and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, it continues to happen. File a complaint with the FCC online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or by phone 1-888-225-5322.

If you or anyone you know receives these calls with one of Milestones phone numbers, you can call 855-410-6222 to verify that we made the call.

Peggy Dykes is Community Relations Director at Milestones Area Agency on Aging. She can be reached at (563) 484-3147, ext. 212 or at pdykes@milestones aaa.org.