Phone number spoofed

[#1]

I'm getting a lot of phone calls from people asking why I've phoned them, or tried to phone them when I didn't.

I had this a couple of years ago with my mobile and was told my number had been spoofed.

Any ideas of how to stop it on a landline apart from changing my number?

Thanks

[#2]

@ukanimal This is something you will have to put up with - for a short while. The low-life's that do this only use a number for a short while, and usually use one that is not in service, but at odd times they spoof a live one.

Personally, I'd just ride it out, as the hassle of changing your number just isn't worth it.

[#3]

As above, nothing you can do.  If you change your number then there's no guarantee the scammers won't use that in future.  The real problem is that there is little or no security on the system, it's trivially easy for anyone to pretend to be calling from any number.  The scammers do this so they appear to be calling from a UK area code, when in reality they are most probably somewhere thousands of miles away.

Only way to fix it is to make the caller ID system secure, but from what I've read this isn't something that can easily be done.

[#4]

@JSHarris There is a system in development - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STIR/SHAKEN , but I  do not know how far it has been implemented yet.

[#5]

It can be done easily and there are clear requirements on CPs to do so. As ever toothless Ofcom are doing nothing.

There is a general condition that presented CLIs be numbers which can be dialled and the calling party has legitimate use of the presented number.

All calls carry an actual and presented CLI - much more could be done in respect of calls where these differ, especially if an out of territory originated call presents an in territory presentation CLI.

[#6]

thank you one and all for the messages, very much appricated.

just feel guilty when I'm trying to explain it to the poor people who phone me back, as I feel like I'm the one scamming..

hopefully it will stop soon

thanks again

[#7]

@ukanimal I don't know about you, but if a number I don't recognise appears on the display, I ignore it - unless I am expecting a call from someone not in my 'phonebook'.

[#8]

@ukanimal 

Do you normally use your landline to receive calls from people you know (who would obviously be calling the correct number)?  If not, there's a slimmish chance that a technician working on your local cabinet (or exchange) has inadvertently swapped your 'pair' for someone else's, so that someone else has your number and you have theirs.

To check, dial 17070 and listen to the number recited to you.

[#9]

we use the landline all the time, the people who phone us saying we called them either have numbers blocked or numbers showing.. but normally we pick up the phone without looking, which we need to change..

but yeah we send and receive calls alot as neither of us use mobiles

[#10]

Further to post #5 the Ofcom General Condition (GC) which applies here is C6 see Guidance on the provision of Calling Line Identification facilities and other related services - Ofc...

The CLIs variants in detail are

• Network Number (where the call came from)
• Presentation Number (the number to be displayed [if any])

The key obligation is: "Where CLI Data is provided, it must include a valid, dialable telephone number which uniquely identifies the caller".

The suggests that PRESENTEDCLIs must not be numbers which cannot be dialled and must not be numbers not associated with the calling party.