Phone ‘Spoofing’ Scams

“It must be the bank – the caller number is the same as the one on my card”

Many phones have what is known as caller ID – the number of the person calling is displayed.

Although people find this a useful way of screening the calls they want to answer from the ones they don’t, it’s not a reliable way of checking who’s on the other end of the line. Scammers can change the caller ID displayed on your phone. This is known as ‘spoofing’.

They do this either to hide their identity, or try to mimic the number of a real company or person.

They use ‘spoofing’ to pretend they are calling from a genuine number e.g. the victim’s bank or credit card company, utility provider, or a government department. Their aim is to steal sensitive information such as bank details or log-in details in order to gain access to the victim’s cash.

Calls from ‘spoofed’ numbers can come from anywhere in the world.

Remember

• Never rely on the caller ID displayed on the phone as the sole means of identification. Instead hang up and find the phone number on your account statement or on the company’s or government department’s website to check the call is genuine.
• If possible use another phone, or wait at least 5 minutes before making a call. This ensures the line is automatically cut off so you will no longer be speaking to the scammer or an accomplice.
• Never answer any questions which might have financial consequences.

IT’S SMART TO BE SUSPICIOUS