Call Spoofing

What is Call Spoofing?

Call spoofing happens when a caller intentionally falsifies the information transmitted for the Caller ID to make it look as though they are calling from a number different than the number they are using. Oftentimes, scammers engaging in call spoofing will use established, recognizable numbers to reach unsuspecting customers in an attempt to defraud or scam people into providing sensitive information over the phone.

Caller ID spoofing is a well-known issue that is occurring throughout the telecommunications industry. Landline, wireless, and IP-based telephone service providers are all experiencing this problem. This is not an Aircall specific issue.

How do I know if I’m experiencing Call Spoofing?

The number that is displayed on your Caller ID screen may look as though it's coming from a government agency, business, or even someone in your contacts list in an attempt to trick you into answering the call.

For example, you might receive a call from some of your customers saying that they just received a call from you, but you have not called this person recently. Another example is receiving a call from someone you do not know who is returning a spoofed call. In both of these cases, the calls have been made to appear as though they have been made from your number when they came from another number entirely.

What can I do about Call Spoofing?

Unfortunately, there is little we can do to assist with call spoofing on Aircall’s side apart from advising anyone receiving spoofed calls to submit a report to their local agency and encouraging customers to protect themselves by verifying that they are speaking with a legitimate representative of your business and not a scammer.

Please be sure to not provide any personal information. Identity thieves often pose as representatives of banks, credit card companies, creditors, or government agencies to get account numbers, social security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords, and any other identifying personal information to use.

To contact and report call spoofing in your area, here are some helpful resources:

United States

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - Caller ID Spoofing

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - Submit a Complaint

Canada

• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission - Caller ID Spoofing

United Kingdom

• The Office of Communications - Number spoofing scams

France

• Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de la Relance - Phishing (hameçonnage)

Germany

• Bundesregierung - Schutz vor Phishing und Trojanern

Australia

• Australian Communications and Media Authority - Calling Line Identification and spoofing

• Australian Competition & Consumer Commission - Report a Scam

• Australian Cyber Security Centre - Report

New Zealand

• Netsafe - Report Harmful Content

Should I report Call Spoofing to Aircall?

Yes! While Aircall may be unable to directly prevent spoofing, our Call Quality team can report cases of spoofing to the appropriate carriers/regulators. Aircall's recommendation for spoofing is to report, then replace any number that is being spoofed.