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Robocalls Changing For The Worse

ILLUSTRATION: CHRIS PHILPOT/ConsumerReports.org

Do you still answer phone calls from unknown numbers? Like me, you probably ignore them all. Why? Well, it’s most likely just another robocall or a telemarketing call.

But what if the caller ID appears to be from a familiar number or company? Or worse, what if it looks like it’s coming from your own number? Out of curiosity, there’s a good chance you might pick up.

But watch out — that’s what these scammers are counting on. And in the future, it will only get worse. Not only can they spoof numbers that are familiar to you, but they’ll also start faking voices, too!

What is caller ID spoofing?

Caller ID and phone number spoofing is a growing plague that’s not only annoying, but it is also equally dangerous.

With this scheme, criminals are using VOIP (voice-over-IP) and phone spoofing software to impersonate a phone number’s caller ID.

This means they could make any call show up on your phone as if it is coming from a familiar person from your contact list, company or organization and even yourself.

In fact, these Caller ID phone phishing scams (also known as vishing) are getting so sophisticated and professionally handled that they’re fooling even the most tech-savvy people around. Click here to read one of the most interesting phone spoofing phishing attempts.

But security experts are warning that a new level of deception is on the horizon. You won’t just receive scam calls from phone numbers that you’re familiar with, the person on the other end of the line will sound like someone you know, too.

[vc_btn title=”Continue reading” color=”primary” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.komando.com%2Fhappening-now%2F559991%2Ffuture-robocalls-will-impersonate-you-and-your-familys-voices-too%3Futm_medium%3Dnl%26utm_source%3Dalerts%26utm_content%3D2019-04-08||target:%20_blank|”][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” message_box_color=”blue”]Kim Komando, excerpt posted on SouthFloridaReporter.com, April 10, 2019[/vc_message]