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We've had calls from scam artists that spoofs the phone so that the Caller ID is our own phone number. My mother gets confused and picks up the phone thinking it is my father calling because his name appears, not realizing he could not be calling from the same number.
I tried blocking the phone number of the house on the same phone, but I don't know if it will work. I understand that the scam artists also spoof the Caller ID by using your area code and three digit exchange. By only varying the last four numbers it seems like a local number so that the victim is more likely to pick up the phone.
I am worried about my aging parents getting scammed. Is there anything I can do?
Perhaps the best is to ask your mom NOT to answer the phone but wait for the answering machine first.
If this is a land line, she will hear who is talking, and then decide if she wants to talk or not. Try to explain that she only should talk to family members or close friends. Other calls should get redirected to voice mail.
Also have a talk with your mom about scams ...
On cell phone the best is to just send the call to voice mail, and check it as soon the call ends.
In fact talking to your mom is the only option, because there is no real way to protect your phone number from getting spoofed. Numbers are selected at random, so it's not like you can be specifically targeted. The only real immediate action you can take is to change your number. However this is obviously a huge hassle and many people have so much of their life tied to that particular number. Plus it doesn't stop the telemarketer from just using your new number at some point.
I get three spoof calls a week. They often use a local number. I've test called some of them back I get the message that the number is not in service. So I ignore them unless I get a VM. You need to educate your parents and have them call you
Sadly, call spoofing has existed for more than just a few years and will not likely go away anytime soon. As others have posted in numerous threads in multiple forums, users have to be careful and take reasonable precautions.
If you can, have her use the call trace feature when this occurs. For example on Comcast (Xfinity Voice), that's *57.
I've noticed this alone stopped the harassing "neighbor spoofing" calls we were receiving daily on our landline. (I was doing it in preparation for filing a complaint with the local PD).
If you haven't already done so, find out if your Mom's phone line is compatible with https://www.nomorobo.com/. This will work for VOIP based landlines (free) as well as cell phones (pay per month). It won't work with old fashioned copper based services.
Make sure that your parents know that if anyone is calling from the bank or credit card company, hang up, and call the credit card or bank fraud department directly. They will know if the account has been compromised.
If you haven't already done so, find out if your Mom's phone line is compatible with https://www.nomorobo.com/. This will work for VOIP based landlines (free) as well as cell phones (pay per month). It won't work with old fashioned copper based services.
Make sure that your parents know that if anyone is calling from the bank or credit card company, hang up, and call the credit card or bank fraud department directly. They will know if the account has been compromised.
We have NoMoRoBo on our VOIP (Comcast) line, and it works very well for known scammers on NoMo's database. However it does not stop the AreaCode-Prefix spoofer/scammers. These numbers change too fast, and are otherwise legitimate numbers.
We use an answering machine to screen ALL calls. And only directly answer the few from known relatives and friends. Anybody can leave a message if legitimate. All the house phones are cordless w/CallerID displays)
Just download an app that checks the phone number's Caller ID for identity before picking up. They can spoof callerID but they can't spoof the actual number. They can't spoof your number if it's registered on the network. Make sure all of your friends and family have contact info on your phone so when they call you get a pic or identity. I don't pick up phone calls that is my area code and prefix because I know those numbers are no longer available and there's noway someone with the area code would call me unless I know them.
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