CALLER ID CAN
NOW BE FAKED

Wednesday, March 9, 2005  4:00 p.m.

The caller ID system can now be manipulated.

Yes, the technology that we have come to trust for some twenty years can now be faked. 

Bill collectors can use caller ID to pose as relatives, detectives as lottery representatives, and, unfortunately, criminals as legitimate businesses or even law enforcement.

It is called Caller ID spoofing, and it is offered as a service by different websites. 

Customers can sign up with one of these Caller ID Spoofing websites, pay either a membership fee or a per minute fee, and they're ready. 

Depending on the service, customers are given a special access number with PIN, and they can call anywhere while posing as an employee of The White House, Wal-Mart, or a local PD.  The Caller ID of the person answering the telephone will display anything the caller wants.

While Caller ID Spoofing looks to be an excellent tool for nabbing fugitives, critics are concerned that it will also be used in criminal schemes.  In fact, it already has.

One reported incident involved a gentleman who received a call from his local PD or so he thought. 

His Caller ID had the name and number of the local PD, but the caller was someone trying to obtain the unsuspecting victim's personal information.  Thanks to the Caller ID, the caller was successful.

Expect to be hearing more about Caller ID Spoofing.

Wednesday, March 9, 2005  4:00 p.m.