Have you ever been scammed with phone calls from numbers sharing your area code? Well, you’re not alone. Millions of people from different parts of the world are now plagued with phone-based scams that use a technique call caller ID spoofing. Also known as number spoofing, scammers have easy access to the tools needed to create fake numbers and launch phone scam campaigns.
And there is no sign that number spoofing will go away any time soon. No wonder we have compiled this simple guide on how to prevent phone number spoofing. Keep reading to uncover more and safeguard your data.
What is Number Spoofing?
When you get a call to your mobile phone, the caller may sometimes be masking the original number. If so, the caller could be located just about anywhere in the world and you would never know it. Most of the spam calls you get are likely using spoofed numbers to operate scams.
You might be wondering how caller ID spoofing works? Well, there are several methods scammers can leverage in creating fake numbers. By far, the most common and most popular technique scammers count on to fake numbers with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
With this technique, they can either use freely available open-source VoIP tools or create an account with a VoIP provider that allows them to substitute their original number with any number they want.
How to Prevent and Block Caller ID Spoofing
While service providers and governments are working on solutions, it is up to all of us to do our own due diligence in stopping number spoofing scams. So how to prevent phone number spoofing?
As a good starting point, you should avoid picking up calls from unknown numbers. It doesn’t stop at that since there is also the option of installing a spam blocking app. Actually, spam blocking apps are now a must for consumers.
Fortunately, there are dozens of spam blocking apps on the market that use different techniques to block spam calls.