MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Federal Communications Commission receives more complaints about unwanted calls than any other problem, according to its website.
Many of the estimated 2.4 billion robocalls received a month in 2016 used “spoofing” to hide the caller’s true identity, the FCC said. According to a report by YouMail, a company that aims to stop robocalls, Americans received 30.5 billion robocalls in 2017.
Spoofing is when the caller deliberately falsifies their information on your caller ID, Amanda Griffith, governance and compliance manager with WVU ITS, said.
“I get them all the time,” she said. “It looks like someone is calling from West Virginia but they aren’t.”
It’s not always possible to tell if a call is spoofed right away, according to a recent press release from the Morgantown Police Department, warning of holiday scam calls.
The release states spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick people into giving away personal information that is later sold or used in fraudulent activity.
Griffith said she sends calls from numbers she doesn’t recognize to voicemail and then calls back if it’s a legitimate call.
If you accidentally answer a robocall, you shouldn’t press any of the button prompts and definitely don’t give out personal information, she said.
Sometimes scammers will claim to be your bank or cell phone provider calling to inform you someone tried to break into your account, Griffith said.
Social Security numbers, mother’s maiden names, passwords or any other identifying information shouldn’t be given out, according MPD.
Both police and Griffith agree if there’s any doubt about who called you, hang up and call the business’s number found on the company’s website, your account statement or phone book.
Call spoofing does have legitimate uses, Griffith said. A doctor contacting a patient, but spoofing his cellphone number to his office number, is an example of a legitimate use, she said.
There is no way to stop receiving robocalls, though some cellphone companies may warn a call is spoofed, she said.
Suspected phone scams should be reported to the FCC at 888-CALL-FCC.
Story by William Dean