Providers
To use a typical spoofing service, customers pay in advance for a personal identification number (PIN), allowing them to make a call for a certain amount of time. To begin, customers dial the number given to them by the company and enter their PIN. Then they enter the number they wish to call and the number they wish to appear as the Caller ID. Once the customer selects these options, the call is bridged or transferred and the person on the other end receives the customer's call. Assuming Caller ID is used on the receiving end, the receiver would normally assume the call was coming from a different phone number — the spoofed number chosen by the caller — thus tricking the receiver into thinking the call was coming from a different individual or organization than the caller's. Most providers work similarly to a prepaid calling card.
The above method is a bit complex; many Caller ID spoofing service providers also allow customers to initiate spoofed calls from a Web-based interface. Some providers allow entering the name to display along with the spoofed Caller ID number, but in most parts of the United States, for example, whatever name the local phone company has associated with the spoofed Caller ID number is the name that shows up on the Caller ID display. In other words, the name is not derived from the phone network; instead the originating number is looked up in a database, often over the Internet, and that name is used.
Using a Web-based spoofing service involves creating an account with a provider, logging in to their Website and completing a form. Most companies require the following basic fields:
- source number
- destination number
- Caller ID number
When the user completes this form and clicks a button to initiate the call, the source number is first called. When the source number line is answered, the destination is then called and bridged together.
Some providers also offer the ability to record calls, change the voice and send text messages.
Other popular methods by companies include displaying only a geographic name on the caller ID readout, e.g., "ARIZONA", "CALIFORNIA", "OREGON", or "ONTARIO".
Read more about this topic: Caller ID Spoofing
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