UNSOLICITED PHONE CALLS FROM KNOWN NUMBERS
The Scituate Police Department and the Select Board office have been hearing from many residents throughout town regarding an increase in unsolicited sales or “robo” calls. These calls are often perpetrated by “spoofing” a phone number which either resembles your phone number or by utilizing a number which would appear easily recognizable or important to you (i.e.: Scituate Town Hall, social security). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides the following information on their website:
"Spoofing" occurs when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally. U.S. law and FCC rules prohibit most types of spoofing. Caller ID lets consumers avoid unwanted phone calls by displaying caller names and phone numbers, but the caller ID feature is sometimes manipulated by spoofers who masquerade as representatives of banks, creditors, insurance companies, or even the government.
What you can do if you think you're being spoofed:
- 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.
- Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.
- If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency seeking personal information, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request.
- Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.
- If you have a voice mail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voice mail if you do not set a password.
Is spoofing illegal?
Under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit any person or entity from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongly obtain anything of value. If no harm is intended or caused, spoofing is not illegal. Anyone who is illegally spoofing can face penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation. In some cases, spoofing can be permitted by courts for people who have legitimate reasons to hide their information, such as law enforcement agencies working on cases, victims of domestic abuse or doctors who wish to discuss private medical matters.
Reporting:
If you suspect you have received a call from a falsified caller id, please report your spoofing and unwanted calls to the FCC directly on the following link:
On Phone Issues Select Unwanted Calls (including do not call and spoofing) as the category
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=39744
For more information visit the FCC websites:
https://www.fcc.gov/file/15168/download
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts#d...