A news alert says scammers can make a call look like it comes from a real number, so caller ID alone no longer proves who is calling you.
A news alert from Decorah News warns that scam callers are faking the phone number that shows up on your screen. The trick is called phone number spoofing. It makes a call look as if it is coming from a legitimate number, even when it is not.
Spoofing works on the one thing most people check first: the number or name on caller ID. A scammer changes what appears, so the call can look like it comes from a bank, a government agency or a local business. The screen may look right. The person on the line is not.
Anyone with a phone can get one of these calls. That includes families, older adults and business owners who get calls claiming to be from banks, agencies or vendors. A familiar-looking number can lower your guard, which is the point of the trick.
The alert box above this article lists the steps. The key idea is simple. Treat caller ID as a hint, never as proof. If a call asks for money or personal details, end it and reach the company yourself through a number you already know is real.
The alert does not say where the calls are coming from, how many people have received them or which companies are being imitated. It also does not give a date range. Those details were not in the material available. Until more is known, the safest habit is the same for every unexpected call that asks for sensitive information.
Do not trust caller ID with your money or personal details; hang up and call back using a number you already know is real.
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Read more: Got a suspicious call? Hang up and look up the number yourself
