Caller ID spoofing
Falsifying the originating number displayed on a recipient caller ID.
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Falsifying the originating number displayed on a recipient caller ID.
Caller ID spoofing is the practice of causing a call to display a number other than the one it actually originated from. The protocols that carry caller ID were designed on the assumption of trust, which makes the value straightforward to set.
Not all spoofing is illegal. A business legitimately displays its main switchboard number on calls placed from individual desks, and a doctor returning a call from a personal phone may display the practice number. The line is drawn at intent: US law prohibits spoofing carried out to defraud or cause harm.
Malicious spoofing — particularly neighbour spoofing, where the displayed number shares a caller local prefix — drove the adoption of the STIR/SHAKEN framework, which lets carriers cryptographically attest that a calling number is legitimate.
Related terms
- CNAM (Caller ID Name) — The caller ID name database that supplies the text shown next to an incoming phone number.
- TCPA — The US Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which governs automated calls and text messages.