Fake phone numbers

   #1  

Boki Ar

VCDS Distributor
VCDS Distributor
Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Messages
2,877
Reaction score
2,734
Location
Arandjelovac, Serbia
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=57300
Already know about this numbers: https://fakenumber.org/generator-us/+1-843-555-0167

Now have new one:

K3auENn.jpg


If someone knows to whom such numbers are reported, please do so. :thanks:
 
   #2  

Uwe

Benevolent Dictator
Administrator
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
49,362
Reaction score
33,845
Location
USA
VCDS Serial number
HC100001
That's the sad thing about caller ID; it's trivial to spoof. I could easily do it with our office phone system. We have 8 lines and thus 8 numbers, but it doesn't matter which line the system uses when I make an outgoing call, the call appears to come from our main number (267-638-2300) because that's how I have it programmed. I could just as easily program it to look like it's coming from 843-023-5016.

The way this is abused is quite annoying. Most spam calls to my cell phone appear to come from the same area code (267-xxx-xxxx) as my cell, and quite often, even the same Exchange (267-421-xxxx). I think the spammers do this because they figure you are more likely to answer a number that's "close" to your own than one from an someplace you don't recognize.

The spam calls have gotten annoying enough that I (and many others) have taken the approach: If you call my cell phone from a number that's not in my contact list, I will not answer; talk to my voice mail. Of course the spammers usually won't leave a message.

-Uwe-
 
   #3  

Uwe

Benevolent Dictator
Administrator
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
49,362
Reaction score
33,845
Location
USA
VCDS Serial number
HC100001
+1-843-555-0167
+1-843-023-5016

BTW, I think that you can tell both of those numbers are fake (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

xxx-555-xxxx is not allowed,
because 555 is a reserved exchange.

xxx-0xx-xxxx is not allowed,
xxx-1xx-xxxx is not allowed,
because in many area codes, you can still dial inside the area code without having to dial the area code itself, and starting a call with either 0 or 1 would trigger the algorithms for special things like "operator", or "long distance".

-Uwe-

PS: Moving this to the Bar...
 
   #4  

Boki Ar

VCDS Distributor
VCDS Distributor
Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Messages
2,877
Reaction score
2,734
Location
Arandjelovac, Serbia
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=57300
I find an interesting question: what are they trying to do with these calls? Get my contacts from the address book?

To steal some other data from my phone, including VCDS mobile? ;)
 
   #5  

Zenerdiode

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Jun 26, 2014
Messages
1,412
Reaction score
2,124
Location
Newcastle, England
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=24330
xxx-555-xxxx is not allowed,
because 555 is a reserved exchange.

Hehe, I seem to remember 'Columbo' and other American shows like 'CSI: Miami' having numbers with the 555 in them; was that because of what you say because of the reserved status?
 
   #6  

Boki Ar

VCDS Distributor
VCDS Distributor
Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Messages
2,877
Reaction score
2,734
Location
Arandjelovac, Serbia
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=57300
All numbers in movies are with 555 ;)
 
   #7  

vreihen

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
5,043
Reaction score
6,395
Location
The Land of OCC, NY, USA
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=31688
555 is/was reserved by the telephone companies on this side of the pond for their own use. 555-1212 has been the directory service number for years.

I'm sure that Jason will chime in about the 5-5-5 pulses flipping some magic relays in ancient mechanical phone switches.

For additional fun reading from the land of +1, Google the reasons for 911 versus 119 versus 999 as an emergency number in various regions of the world.....
 
   #8  

Uwe

Benevolent Dictator
Administrator
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
49,362
Reaction score
33,845
Location
USA
VCDS Serial number
HC100001
Hehe, I seem to remember 'Columbo' and other American shows like 'CSI: Miami' having numbers with the 555 in them; was that because of what you say because of the reserved status?
Exactly.

They do not want a repeat of 867-5309.
 
   #10  

vreihen

Verified VCDS User
Verified
Joined
Sep 6, 2014
Messages
5,043
Reaction score
6,395
Location
The Land of OCC, NY, USA
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=31688
...and quite often, even the same Exchange (267-421-xxxx). I think the spammers do this because they figure you are more likely to answer a number that's "close" to your own than one from an someplace you don't recognize.

The technical term is "neighbor spoofing," and they use it for the reason that you cite.

I have both RoboKiller ($1.99/month) and Hiya (free) installed on my personal FruitPhone. Listening to recordings of RoboKiller telling a robodialer that it won a free cruise is worth two bucks a month to me, although honestly both of their detections combined are nowhere near 100%. As much as I would like to enable the iOS option to reject calls from people not in my address book, there is someone who calls me on occasion from rotating phone numbers or with a blocked caller ID who I would not want to miss a call from.

On this topic, we received a sales call yesterday in the office at a few of our extensions. The incoming caller ID was spoofed as "073" and nothing else. Told the caller three times that no business in their right mind would buy something from someone who is breaking the law by spoofing caller ID to hide their identity, so don't waste your time because we're not buying. Last year, someone called with the spoofed caller ID of our department fax machine, and received the same pre-click lecture. They were probably trying to do a neighbor spoof, which happened to pick our fax machine extension since our PBX has a large portion of the telco exchange's number pool as DID numbers.....
 
   #12  

Jack@European_Parts

Gone But Not Forgotten
Professional VCDS User
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
21,923
Reaction score
9,308
Location
Montgomery, NY, USA
VCDS Serial number
C?ID=57337
Mr. Number app seems okay......

The magic jack lets you place a hold for the solicitor, to press a random button to commence the call & so far kills the auto-dialer.
 
Back
Top