4 ms·

This is so easily fixable with the lessons we've learned with egress filtering on the Internet. Legally require large providers to never allow their customers

This is so easily fixable with the lessons we've learned with egress filtering on the Internet. Legally require large providers to never allow their customers to falsify caller ID. Then have the large providers disconnect small providers who pass along fraudulent caller ID until all small providers are either out of business or aren't facilitating spammers. It's literally that easy, but Congress has ducked this up time and time again, and the FCC has been neutered. We really need proper, technically sound legislation to fix this.

jdeibele 4y ago
"Falsifying caller ID" sounds bad but: 1) we get calls if one of our kids misses class. The number is of their school but they use an outside service. 2) we get calls from business on one of their lines but they want the number to show as the main number. Businesses have a few to a few thousand outgoing lines but they may have many too many thousand extensions. 3) there are people who work from home and call out to customers. There are legit reasons to falsify caller ID. The issue seems to be more "this call is from a number belonging to a Verizon Wireless customer but it's originating from John's Bait and Telco".
- johnklos 4y ago
  You're confused about the meaning of "falsify": alter so as to mislead. Using a caller ID name / number that you have the right to use is, of course, fine. Using a caller ID name / number that is clearly and obviously not you is attempting to mislead. You can't walk in to a bank and say you're someone else. So, just like that, but with phones. But I really wonder why you think it necessary to make excuses for scammers...
- MiddleEndian 4y ago
  Put some sort of restriction or registration for falsifying ID. If I work for your school, can associate my number to your school, it's registered with the telco, and call you with that number showing up. Maybe I call the school first and all the calls go through them. Either way, still a verifiable chain of events. If some random scammer tries to set its ID to the school, the call should not go through. If for some reason the school lends out its number to scammers, then the school should face legal consequences along with the scammer.

jdeibele 4y ago

"Falsifying caller ID" sounds bad but: 1) we get calls if one of our kids misses class. The number is of their school but they use an outside service. 2) we get calls from business on one of their lines but they want the number to show as the main number. Businesses have a few to a few thousand outgoing lines but they may have many too many thousand extensions. 3) there are people who work from home and call out to customers. There are legit reasons to falsify caller ID. The issue seems to be more "this call is from a number belonging to a Verizon Wireless customer but it's originating from John's Bait and Telco".

johnklos 4y ago
You're confused about the meaning of "falsify": alter so as to mislead. Using a caller ID name / number that you have the right to use is, of course, fine. Using a caller ID name / number that is clearly and obviously not you is attempting to mislead. You can't walk in to a bank and say you're someone else. So, just like that, but with phones. But I really wonder why you think it necessary to make excuses for scammers...
MiddleEndian 4y ago
Put some sort of restriction or registration for falsifying ID. If I work for your school, can associate my number to your school, it's registered with the telco, and call you with that number showing up. Maybe I call the school first and all the calls go through them. Either way, still a verifiable chain of events. If some random scammer tries to set its ID to the school, the call should not go through. If for some reason the school lends out its number to scammers, then the school should face legal consequences along with the scammer.