Warning About "Unknown" Calls

Twice in the last two weeks I have received calls from people who have said, "Hi. I see on my 'recent calls' that I missed you, and I was wondering what you were calling about."  In each case, I both had NOT called them and did not know them.  Mystery.

I assumed with the first one that I had just somehow "pocket dialed" the number.  I apologized for bothering the woman and hung up.  When the second call came in the same way, I decided to investigate.

Rick reminded me that I could not have "pocket dialed" anyone because my new iPhone 6s has a security lock on the screen.  Without my fingerprint or the correct code, the phone is locked from all access.  OK, so there must be something funky with my new phone.

A trip to Verizon, my phone carrier, revealed that I was not the only person who had complained about something like that happening, but the mysterious calls had nothing to do with the type of phone I had.  Instead, the Verizon personnel told me to call the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) to report that someone was "cloning" my number and using it to sell bogus products to others. Terrific.  The "that only happens to other people" nightmare was now happening to me.

Back at home, I called 1-888-CALL FCC to report the problem.  The nice FCC lady was very helpful and educational.  I learned:

1. What was happening was not "cloning" as Verizon personnel had said.  Instead, I was part of something called "Caller ID Spoofing."  Remember, these are the Feds we are talking about, so one has to get the vocabulary correct.

2. There was nothing I could do about it.  The FCC lady said that some criminals (probably in an off-shore location) were using my number and calling people in order to scam them. You know those calls -- they can give you a better rate on your credit card, and all you need to do is give them the number, or you have won a fabulous new car, and all you have to do is send $500 to pay to have it delivered to your house, etc.  If by some chance you are lucky enough to miss the call, what appears on your caller ID is a number -- in this case MY number -- that cannot be traced back to the scamming organization.

3. The only people who can complain to the FCC are the people who receive the calls.  If the FCC receives a complaint from someone who receives such calls, they can investigate and try to shut down the scammers. If you receive such calls, immediately use the number listed above to report it to the FCC.  No complaints = no action.

4. If you check your phone and see a call came in from a number that you do not recognize or the ID says "Unknown," DO NOT CALL BACK.  The FCC lady said that in some cases the scammers DO use their own numbers, and calling back will just encourage them to call you more often.  Never respond to such calls.

Once again, I am saddened to think that someone who is smart enough to set up a system whereby my number is used even though he is calling from a different number would want to use his knowledge only to try to rob others.

I thought about changing numbers, but then the scammers have at least scored a little victory.  Changing my number and letting my friends, family, doctors' offices, church, insurance companies, financial advisor, and the million other places that have it would be a royal pain, and in the end, the same thing could happen to any new number that I would get from Verizon.

So if I call you, I hope that you have your phone set up to reveal my name along with my number.  If a missed call contains an unfamiliar number and is accompanied by the tag "Unknown," don't call back.  Chances are the person who called you truly is unknown to you. And if you really want to talk to me, call me. You know my number.