What Is Spoofing?

Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information sent to the caller’s identification screen to conceal their identity. They can make it look like they’re calling from a different place or phone number, or even using your own number.

The most common sign that someone is using your number to make fake calls is if you start receiving multiple calls or text messages responding to the call that you have never initiated. You may receive texts asking who you are, or you may receive calls from people asking you to stop bothering them. If you have never attempted to contact these individuals, your phone number is likely to be misused.

What can you do if your number is being spoofed?

If you get calls from people saying your number is showing up on their caller ID, it’s likely that your number has been spoofed. We suggest first that you do not answer any calls from unknown numbers, but if you do, explain that your telephone number is being spoofed and that you did not actually make any calls.

How to Avoid Spoofing

You may not be able to tell right away if an incoming call is spoofed. Be extremely careful about responding to any request for personal identifying information.

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.

• If you answer the phone and the caller - or a recording - asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.

• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes" or "No."

• Never give out personal information

• Report the scam to ACCC’s Scamwatch

• Report the scam to ReportCyber