{"id":24976,"date":"2021-06-15T13:44:28","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T21:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=24976"},"modified":"2022-04-13T12:23:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:23:08","slug":"understanding-the-differences-in-incoming-phone-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/understanding-the-differences-in-incoming-phone-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u201cUnknown Caller\u201d to Outright Scam: Understanding Caller ID Messages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\u2019s your gut reaction when you hear your phone ring?  Is it hope that one of your family or friends has called or eye-rolling resignation at the thought of sending  yet another spammy (and potentially fraudulent) robocall<\/a> to voicemail? If you fall into the second category, don\u2019t be too discouraged.  That unknown caller isn\u2019t necessarily coming from a robo dialer, and recent legislation has made it easier to weed out potential spam calls.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those upgraded protections include updated caller ID messages. Along with the familiar \u201cunknown caller\u201d and \u201cno caller ID\u201d messages, you\u2019ll now sometimes see incoming calls labeled as \u201cScam Likely.\u201d Here\u2019s how your provider\u2019s caller ID system differentiates between those incoming calls, why they say what they say, and what you can do about them if necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Caller ID Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Caller ID works in a couple of different ways, depending where the call comes from.  If it\u2019s an old-fashioned landline phone attached to a copper wire phone line, the caller\u2019s phone company displays the name and number that are attached to that account.  It\u2019s pretty straightforward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s different for calls originating on mobile phones, computerized dialers or phones using internet (\u201cVoice over Internet Protocol\u201d or VoIP) calling, which is how modern \u201clandline\u201d phones typically work.  In those cases either the originating caller, or the caller\u2019s service provider, attaches a name and number to the outgoing call.  Ordinarily, those will be consistent for any call from that account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the call comes in, your service provider looks up the name and number in one of the many calling-name services (CNAMs), which \u2014 like the big credit-reporting agencies \u2014 each maintain their own proprietary database.  Those databases aren\u2019t integrated with each other, so it can sometimes take weeks for a newly created account to show up across multiple CNAMs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caller ID Messages You May See<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time this system works well, but it is possible for callers to defeat the caller ID system in multiple ways.  This can result in calls that place limited, or even misleading, information on your display.  Here\u2019s a quick look at some of the things you\u2019ll see and what they mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers that Are Deliberately Blocked<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone has deliberately blocked their Caller ID<\/a> information from showing, your display may show a message that says \u201cRestricted,\u201d \u201cNo Caller ID,\u201d \u201cPrivate Number,\u201d \u201cPrivate Caller\u201d or something along those lines.  You won\u2019t see the actual phone number. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Number that\u2019s not in CNAM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, the CNAM your phone provider uses for number lookup may simply not have the Caller ID information yet for your caller.  In those cases you may also see a \u201cNo Caller ID\u201d message, though the number will typically display.  You may also see \u201cUnknown Caller.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caller who\u2019s not in Your Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On your mobile phone, Caller ID provides the incoming number, which is then checked against your contacts list.  For callers in your contacts, it will display at least the contact\u2019s name and \u2014 if you\u2019ve set it up to do so \u2014 potentially show you their picture, or play a custom ringtone linked to that caller.  If the caller isn\u2019t in your contacts, you may see just the number or an \u201cunknown caller\u201d message depending on the make and model of your phone, its OS or your cellular provider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls Showing \u201cValid Number\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A piece of recent legislation known formally as the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act<\/a>, and popularly as \u201cthat robocall bill,\u201d required phone service providers to adopt better technology for vetting Caller ID.  That technology is just becoming mainstream in 2021, though big carriers like Verizon and AT&T<\/a> started phasing it in back in 2019.  It\u2019s a system based on digital certificates<\/a>, somewhat like the one that identifies legitimate websites.  An incoming call that says \u201cValid Number,\u201d or something similar, has been explicitly validated this way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls Showing \u201cFraud\u201d or \u201cPotential Scam\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls that can\u2019t be validated through that system will sometimes display on your Caller ID with a warning that says they\u2019re fraudulent or a \u201cPotential Scam.\u201d  Failing validation doesn\u2019t automatically mean you\u2019re getting a scam call, because this new technology is still being rolled out and a lot<\/em> of legitimate calls can\u2019t be validated.  Also, a lot of nuisance calls are legitimate \u2014 if annoying \u2014 under the law.  The \u201cfraud\u201d or \u201cscam\u201d warnings are applied only when there are other red flags involved, like the call originating from an area code (or service provider) that\u2019s known to generate high volumes of bogus calls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beware of Spoofed Caller ID<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to remember that despite the new legislation, malicious callers can still \u201cspoof<\/a>\u201d the Caller ID system to make your phone display inaccurate or misleading information.  That\u2019s a weakness in the system, but it is \u2014 as they say \u2014 \u201ca feature, not a bug,\u201d because there are plenty of legitimate reasons to change how the caller\u2019s Caller ID displays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine you\u2019re a dentist and the formal name of your company is 123456789Missouri, Inc., or Blank Professional Services, LLC.  Confirming your patients\u2019 appointments by phone would be a slow process if you couldn\u2019t have the display show \u201cHappy Smile Dental\u201d instead.  Similarly, a large office might have 40 individual lines, each with their own direct number, but displays the main switchboard number on your Caller ID because that\u2019s more appropriate for any return calls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, scammers have subverted that legitimate feature for their own crooked purposes (because that\u2019s basically how they roll).  They\u2019ll game the system to show you Caller ID information that makes it more likely you\u2019ll pick up the phone and increase the chances you\u2019ll fall for their scam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specific Spoofed-Caller ID Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scammers tend to stick with a handful of common, tried-and-true schemes<\/a> that have been proven to work well, so it\u2019s relatively easy to spot them once you know what to look for.  A handful of these \u201cgreatest hits\u201d include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeighbor\u201d Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incoming number appears to come from your local area<\/a>, which increases the likelihood you\u2019ll pick it up (maybe it\u2019s your kids\u2019 school or that new neighbor you haven\u2019t properly met yet). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bank\/Credit Card Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caller pretends to be from your bank or credit card company, and the Caller ID agrees.  The scam is that there has been an overdrawn account, a bounced check or the usefully generic \u201csuspicious activity.\u201d  If you fall for it, you\u2019ll be tricked into making a bogus repayment or divulging personal information they\u2019ll use to steal your identity or pillage your accounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IRS Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same basic idea, except the caller pretends to be calling from the IRS<\/a>.  The caller takes a menacing tone, threatening dire consequences if you don\u2019t settle up over a bogus problem with your taxes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law Enforcement Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet another variation on the same theme, except this time the caller pretends to be from your local or state police or possibly even the FBI<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Security Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This version of the spoofed-ID scam is especially cynical, because it primarily targets the elderly<\/a>.  There\u2019s a \u201ccarrot\u201d version of the scam (\u201cYou may be entitled to increased benefits\u201d) and a \u201cstick\u201d version (\u201cYour SSN has been used in the commission of a crime and an arrest warrant has been issued…\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a Winner!\u201d Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than trying to panic you into taking action, these scams appeal to greed.  The come-on is usually that for opaque reasons you\u2019ve \u201cwon\u201d or \u201cbeen selected to receive\u201d a valuable prize \u2014 perhaps money or a cruise, or the latest unobtainable gaming console \u2014 and you juuuust need to give them your banking information so they can direct-deposit the money, or perhaps you need to pay a shipping\/handling fee, or…something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protecting Yourself From Scam Calls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though the technology is improving and the new legislation has better tools for prosecuting scammers and their enablers, scam (and nuisance) calls won\u2019t go away any time soon.  It\u2019ll get a bit harder for the scammers, but for them it\u2019s just the cost of doing business.  Your best protection is educating yourself and knowing how to handle the calls when they come in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unmask and Block Callers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use a variety of tools to do this, from your phone provider\u2019s *69 (or #69 on a cell phone) callback feature to specialized apps, like Spokeo\u2019s<\/a>, which can unmask unknown callers (and often block them in future). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

File Reports with the Authorities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have unmasked the phone number, you can use Spokeo\u2019s people search tools<\/a> to look up who they are and where they\u2019re calling from.  Whether you report it to the FCC<\/a> as a robocall or nuisance call, or as a scam to the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a>, that information can help speed the investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Play the Game<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is really the biggest weapon in your arsenal.  When you get a bogus call, just hang up.  Don\u2019t engage, don\u2019t give them any information and don\u2019t for a moment believe their story.  Your bank and credit card company, the IRS, SSA and FBI are all unanimous on this point:  That\u2019s not how they operate (and they especially don\u2019t take payment by gift cards). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caller ID is a useful tool, and it will get better over time, but technology and law enforcement will always be one step behind the fertile, never-failing ingenuity of the scammers.\u00a0 Your own willingness to stay educated about scams, and skeptical about the calls you receive, is ultimately what will keep you safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n