Cell Phone Number Being Spoofed

[Maritime Q-Scout]

So my wife got a very aggressive text message yesterday saying to stop calling them. We chalked it up to tying a wrong number into their text field.

Today, she got a call saying "you just called me".

So it appears that her number is being spoofed and calling people.

Is this a real concern? What should we do? Anyone have any experience with this?

She's freaking out as she read someone online that with your cell phone number hackers can access your bank account, and steal your identity.


** Oh for frig sakes, Mods can you move this off the Fire on Ice Forum for me? Sorry**

[GoinAllTheWay]

You'd think with the amount of news exposure about scam calls and spoofed numbers in recent years, people would realize the call isn't coming from the number they think it is.

I had a similar conversation, exact same opening line.."you just called me". No amount of explanation seemed to make a difference.

Unlikely anyone has access to her account but if the concern is there, change the PW on that account. Preferably with something strong.

[Firebot]

Those 403 numbers you see from the 'CRA' or 'Microsoft' or the police?

They are spoofed numbers. Most are owned by someone.

Nothing you can do honestly, her number is being used for spoofing in this round, until the scammers move on to the next digit. It could happen to your wife's next phone number even if changed. More people than there should be don't understand that the number shown is not where the call is coming from. Those are the same people who usually get caught in these scams to begin with.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I’d second the notion that number spoofing is most likely quite in the area of no to low risk.

I expect that at best, an area code and valid first three digits may be chosen to look like it is legitimately coming from (city x), and the last 4 digits of a spoofed number are chosen randomly, and the choice has no specific link to your wife.

Likely nothing to worry about, just disappointing that the person receiving the call is getting worked up about a call from a number they do not recognize.

They should just ignore it like most people :-)

[Weitz]

I’d sure love to hear how someone steals your bank account or identity with your phone number!

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I’d sure love to hear how someone steals your bank account or identity with your phone number!

Spoofing a outgoing # will do nothing to help someone access an account. They would have to spoof a SIM card, to get the texts and calls going TO that phone number. They could then access accounts by doing password resets that have 2FA enabled via text messages etc.

In these cases where a scammer is just using the number basically as the caller ID #, it's doing nothing in their favor. That's like using someone else's email as the reply-to address, instead of actually gaining access to that email account.

To OP, just have your wife ignore the calls. This will become more common place with the new rules implemented for blocking scam calls. They will collect legit phone numbers and use them to spoof to get around that.

[troutman]

I defeat scammers by keeping no money in my accounts!

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Thanks folks, all things I would have told her, but coming from me it wouldn't make a difference (as she continued to Google until the hacking of accounts site was found).

She ended up getting through to the Anti-Fraud Centre who basically said the same things.

I suppose there isn't much else to do on storm days than Google about this stuff.

[CaptainCrunch]

There's really no way to fix it unless you're willing to change your number, but eventually you'll just get spoofed again anyways.


There's no link to your number and your banking information. this isn't really identity theft as much as its pain in the butt theft.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

I'm really curious who the people are who are calling and/or texting people saying "you just called me".

I've had 2 or 3 people call and say that, and one very funny text interaction with someone who really couldn't understand that I didn't call them, and why I wouldn't tell them who I was.

Even if these people have never heard of spoofing, have they never heard of an wrong number?

[CaptainCrunch]

Sometimes people that are calling you to complain about the spoof calls are people looking to spoof your number. Unless I know a number I send it to voice mail and screen it later.

[Sliver]

I just can't believe this is the first your wife has heard of spoofed calls. It's been happening to literally every single person I know for years.

[JBR]

I would love to write a longer reply, but I have to address some Revenue Canada issues I’m dealing with. According to the message I’m in some serious trouble...

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by JBR

I would love to write a longer reply, but I have to address some Revenue Canada issues I’m dealing with. According to the message I’m in some serious trouble...

Yesterday my SIN card expired, and I had to pay to renew it.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by JBR

I would love to write a longer reply, but I have to address some Revenue Canada issues I’m dealing with. According to the message I’m in some serious trouble...

Don't worry. Some iTunes cards will solve that problem.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

I'm really curious who the people are who are calling and/or texting people saying "you just called me".

I've had 2 or 3 people call and say that, and one very funny text interaction with someone who really couldn't understand that I didn't call them, and why I wouldn't tell them who I was.

Even if these people have never heard of spoofing, have they never heard of an wrong number?

I had a conversation with a guy who was convinced that I called him in the middle of the night. I had to explain what spoofing was and sent a link to an article about it.

I think the only harm is that if the spammer manages to learn your name they can start doing some social engineering and calling people you know to get more and more information. I barely can recognize anybody’s voice on the phone. If somebody called me from a recognized number and identified themselves by a name I knew, who knows. I can imagine them calling some elderly people pretending to be their children and gleaning enough personal information to steal a person’s identity.

[Split98]

You guys are getting off easy

I have to find a way to renew my Chinese citizenship, and if I don't respond I'm going to jail

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

You'd think with the amount of news exposure about scam calls and spoofed numbers in recent years, people would realize the call isn't coming from the number they think it is.

I had a similar conversation, exact same opening line.."you just called me". No amount of explanation seemed to make a difference.

Unlikely anyone has access to her account but if the concern is there, change the PW on that account. Preferably with something strong.

So that's what happened. I had the exact same experience, and when I explained to the guy on the other end that I hadn't called him he became quite rude and insistent. Perhaps the RCMP should release an alert with more information.

Typically if I don't recognize the number I don't answer. If it's important they will leave a message. However, since I'm looking for work at the moment I have to answer every call just in case.

[MoneyGuy]

I got a call yesterday from a four-digit number. It was odd and I didn’t answer.

[csnarpy]

I love it when, after you hang up with them, they call you back.

If I wasn’t working most of the time when they call, I’d answer the second call and play along all while recording it.