Spoofing caller ID has become an international phenomenon.  Call spoofing allows a user to display a certain phone number of their choice on a receiver’s call display.  Instead of displaying or blocking your real number, you “spoof” your real number and display a number of your choosing.  For instance, if you sign up with a call spoofing provider such as SpoofTel or one of the various other ones, you would simply enter in your real number, the number of the person you are calling, and the number you would like to display.

A lot of individuals believe that spoofing can be used for malicious purposes.  One such purpose would be to hack in to other people’s voice mail by spoofing their number.  A person spoofing caller ID could simply dial someone else’s telephone number with the person’s telephone number so that it looks like the person is calling themselves.  This way, the person spoofing can possibly reach the voice mail of the person they are spoofing.  However, most individuals have a password set up to access voicemail.  So, to actually listen to messages, delete messages, or change someone’s greeting message, the person spoofing would also need the password.

Caller ID Spoofing and the Entertainment Industry:

Caller ID spoofing has even made its way in to the entertainment business.  A couple of years ago, Paris Hilton was accused by one company of accessing unauthorized voicemails and was said to have her account banned by the spoofing provider.   It’s unfortunate for Paris that this information was leaked on the internet.   Users should be able to have this information kept private. 

If you use a legitimate provider such as SpoofTel, your account information is kept private.  According to the SpoofTel website (www.spooftel.com), as well as some other providers, will help authorities if someone is spoofing for illegal purposes.  However, SpoofTel, which is based out of Canada, is not subjected to U.S. telecommunications regulations.

So, although call spoofing can be found to have many legitimate uses, some individuals can still find ways to take advantage of caller ID spoofing providers and the service.   If you plan on spoofing caller ID, follow the rules and laws as if you would with any service.

If you choose to sign up with SpoofTel, or other caller ID spoofing provider, ensure that you look into the laws surrounding call spoofing in your area.