Spam Callers Using Your Own Number to Reach You
I just received a spam call claiming to be from “Voda Phone” regarding a billing issue. After a rather rude exchange, I marked the number as spam—only to discover that the number was nearly identical to mine, differing by just one digit.
This tactic is becoming increasingly common among fraudulent call centers. By altering the caller ID to resemble legitimate phone numbers, they evade blocking services, making it harder for people to avoid these calls.
Telecommunications companies could address this issue if they chose to. The ability to spoof a phone number is within their control, yet they often opt not to intervene, leaving Australians vulnerable to losing millions each year to these deceptive callers.
Last year, a woman from Queensland called me (I’m in South Australia), insisting she was returning my call. When I explained I hadn’t called her, she became upset and accused me of lying. I asked her to send a screenshot of the number, thinking she had made an error, and, lo and behold, it was my number. I then sent her proof that I hadn’t made any outgoing calls recently. Once I explained that my number had been spoofed, she calmed down a bit, though I can understand her anxiety—she likely thought I was some kind of stalker.
Will the telecom companies band together to implement a solution for this issue, including SMS spoofing? Probably not—unless they’re pressured to do so politically.
It’s incredibly frustrating to deal with spam calls, especially when they come from a spoofed number that’s so similar to your own. Your experience really highlights a major issue with how phone services are currently managed. Spoofing not only creates confusion but can also lead to serious misunderstandings and privacy concerns.
You’re right that telecom companies have the capability to implement better security measures to prevent number spoofing, and it’s disappointing that more hasn’t been done. The financial and emotional toll this takes on innocent people is significant, and it really should be a priority for the industry.
It’s good to hear you handled the situation calmly with the caller, as it’s easy for such miscommunications to escalate. Raising awareness about these issues, as you’ve done here, is crucial, and hopefully it will encourage more discussions among consumers and policymakers about the need for stronger protections against these tactics. Let’s hope that ongoing pressure will lead to some changes that can help prevent these kinds of situations in the future.