Phone number spoofing: why your caller ID lies
Spoofing is faking the phone number shown on your screen, so it looks as if your bank, the government or someone you know is calling. The number on your screen is therefore no proof of who's calling. Always verify through a number you know yourself - and remember: a bank never asks for money 'for verification'.
"But my bank's number really was on the screen?" True - and that's exactly what makes spoofing so effective. The technology to display any number you like is cheap and widely available.
What is spoofing?
Spoofing lets a scammer decide which number (or name) you see on your screen. They can imitate your bank, a government agency or even someone you know to win your trust.
The result: caller ID has become unreliable. You can't tell who's calling from the number on screen.
Bank-helpdesk fraud and 'yes' fraud
In bank-helpdesk fraud, someone calls on behalf of your bank's 'fraud department', from a spoofed bank number, and pressures you to move money 'to safety'. Hang up and call the number on your bank card yourself.
In 'yes' fraud, scammers try to record your 'yes' to splice into a fake agreement later. Don't give a firm 'yes' to questions like 'can you hear me?' from unknown callers.
New protection: fake-call detection
Google is rolling out fake-call detection in the Phone app: a 'digital handshake' between devices that warns you when a caller is impersonating a contact. It only works if both parties use Phone by Google (Android 12+), so coverage is limited.
Read more about how AI voice scams build on this with cloned voices.
How Calmido helps
Calmido assesses calls in real time based on public data, your contacts and community reports - not just the (possibly spoofed) number on screen. So you can see whether a call is suspicious before you pick up.
Unsure about a number? Look it up in the Calmido Directory.
Did a 'bank' or familiar-looking number call that didn't add up? Look it up in the Calmido Directory.
Open the Calmido Directory
