If You Are Calling Yourself, Don't Answer That Phone!

From the Federal Trade Commission:

Bikram Bandy -Do Not Call Program Coordinator, FTC

It’s like a scene out of a strange sci-fi movie. You get a call, look at the caller ID, and see that your own number is calling. Weird! No, this isn’t an alternate reality where your future self is calling the present you. It’s a scammer making an illegal robocall.

Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake or “spoof” caller ID information. They can make it look like they’re calling from a different place or phone number. Even your own number. Scammers use this trick as a way to get around call-blocking and hide from law enforcement. They hope you’ll be curious enough to pick up. Don’t fall for it.

The real callers could be calling from anywhere in the world. We’ve written about these kinds of tricks before — such as the time when scammers pretended to be the IRS and faked caller ID so people thought it really was the IRS calling.

Bottom line? These calls from your own number are illegal. Don’t pick up — or press buttons to be taken off the call list or to talk to a live person. That just leads to more calls. It’s best to ignore them, and move on with your day. Maybe watch a really good sci-fi movie.

Photo via Flickr, Creative Commons