Caller ID Fraud Is a Grim Reminder - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com

Caller ID Fraud Is a Grim Reminder - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com: "The Queens district attorney, Richard Brown, has taken down an identity theft ring that prominently used phone technology in its deceit, which serves as a reminder: Don’t give out any personal information on the phone.

The thieves, who racked up more than a $15 million take over the past year, used easily purchased spoof cards to hide their true identities when calling banks.

Phone spoof cards give callers a way to display any number they choose on the recipient’s caller ID. Some of the spoof cards also sell a feature that can alter the caller’s voice. The voice modification can be used to conceal an accent, or even to disguise the gender of the caller."

By using the spoof cards to make it appear as though the calls were coming from legitimate customers and credit card applicants, the crooks were able to get credit cards issued in other people’s names. They were also able to trick bank employees into giving out information about real customers’ accounts.

The district attorney indicted 45 in the fraud, some of them living out of state and some operating overseas.

The district attorney has begun an investigation into the legality of the cards. If they are found to be within the law, Mr. Brown said he would call for federal regulation.

The moral to the story is this: If banks can be taken in by a spoofed call, so can you. Don’t accept a caller ID number as proof of someone’s identity.