How to Prevent Caller ID Spoofing: 9 Proven Methods to Stop Scam Calls

That call from your bank, the IRS, or even your local police department might not be what it seems. Caller ID spoofing has become one of the most common tactics scammers use to trick people into answering calls and divulging sensitive information. In 2023 alone, Americans lost over $1.1 billion to phone scams, according to the Federal Trade Commission, with caller ID spoofing playing a major role in these schemes.

At Batten Cyber, we understand how frustrating and potentially dangerous these calls can be. Whether you’re trying to protect your family from scammers or secure your remote work environment from social engineering attempts, this comprehensive guide will walk you through practical, effective methods to prevent caller ID spoofing and reduce unwanted calls.

What Exactly Is Caller ID Spoofing?

Caller ID spoofing occurs when someone deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Using specialized software or services, scammers can make their calls appear to come from any number they choose—whether that’s a government agency, a local business, or even a number similar to your own (known as “neighbor spoofing”). This deception creates an initial trust that makes you more likely to answer and believe what the caller tells you.

While there are some legitimate uses for caller ID modification (such as a doctor calling from a personal cell phone but wanting the clinic’s number to display), criminals have exploited this technology to conduct various scams:

Impersonation scams: Pretending to be from the IRS, Social Security Administration, or your bank
Phishing attempts: Trying to collect personal information or account credentials
Tech support scams: Claiming your computer has issues that need immediate, costly fixes
Robocall campaigns: Automated calls with spoofed numbers to evade blocking

The technology behind spoofing has become increasingly accessible, making it a go-to tactic for scammers worldwide. Understanding how it works is the first step toward protecting yourself.

9 Effective Methods to Prevent Caller ID Spoofing

1. Use a Call Blocking and Screening App

One of the most effective frontline defenses against spoofed calls is a dedicated call-blocking application. These apps use vast databases of known scam numbers and sophisticated algorithms to identify and block potential spoofed calls before they reach you. Many can also warn you about suspicious callers even if they haven’t been previously reported.

Some of the most effective call-blocking apps include:

Robokiller: Uses audio fingerprinting technology to identify and block spam calls, even if the number is spoofed. The app can also answer spam calls with time-wasting bots that keep scammers occupied.
Truecaller: Maintains a community-updated database of spam numbers and provides caller ID for unknown numbers.
Hiya: Offers real-time protection against fraud and scam calls with a regularly updated database.
Nomorobo: Simultaneously rings your phone and their service, automatically hanging up on robocalls and scammers.

These applications typically offer both free and premium versions, with the paid options providing more comprehensive protection. For families managing multiple phones, many offer family plans that can protect all household devices under one subscription.

2. Register with the National Do Not Call Registry

While sophisticated scammers may ignore it, registering your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry is still a worthwhile step in reducing unwanted calls. Established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this registry prohibits legitimate telemarketers from calling registered numbers, which can help filter out some of the noise and make suspicious calls more obvious.

To register your number:

Visit DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register
Complete the simple registration process
Your registration never expires, so you only need to do this once per number

While this won’t stop determined scammers who are already breaking the law, it does give you legal recourse to report violations and helps legitimate companies respect your preference not to be called. If you continue receiving telemarketing calls 31 days after registering, you can file a complaint with the FTC.

3. Enable Built-in Carrier Protection

Most major cellular carriers now offer free spam call identification and blocking services for their customers. These network-level protections can identify and block many spoofed calls before they ever reach your phone. The specific features vary by carrier, but most offer basic protection at no extra cost, with premium options available for enhanced security.

Here’s what the major U.S. carriers offer:

AT&T: Call Protect labels suspected spam calls and provides the option to block them automatically.
Verizon: Call Filter identifies potential spam calls and allows you to report unwanted numbers.
T-Mobile: Scam Shield provides scam ID, blocking, and caller ID services.
Sprint: Premium Caller ID identifies potential spam calls with a risk assessment.

To enable these services, contact your carrier directly or check their mobile app for spam protection settings. Most carriers make it simple to activate these features with a few taps in their official apps or through your online account settings.

4. Use STIR/SHAKEN Verification Technology

STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited) and SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) represent the telecommunications industry’s response to the spoofing epidemic. This framework verifies that callers are who they claim to be by authenticating the caller ID information as it passes through different networks.

As of June 30, 2021, the FCC has required all major voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN technology. When a call is made, the originating carrier attests to the legitimacy of the caller ID information and creates a digital signature. The receiving carrier then checks this signature to verify the information hasn’t been tampered with.

On compatible phones, calls that pass STIR/SHAKEN verification may display as “Verified” or show a checkmark next to the caller ID. While this technology isn’t foolproof—particularly for international calls—it represents a significant step forward in the fight against spoofing.

To benefit from this technology:

Ensure your phone is updated to the latest operating system
Check that your carrier supports STIR/SHAKEN (most major carriers now do)
Look for verification indicators when receiving calls

5. Be Cautious with Personal Information

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from caller ID spoofing is to adopt a skeptical mindset about unexpected calls, regardless of what the caller ID displays. Scammers rely on creating a sense of urgency or fear to bypass your natural caution—don’t let them succeed.

Develop these habits to protect your personal information:

Never provide sensitive information to incoming callers. Legitimate organizations like banks and government agencies typically don’t call asking for personal information.
If a caller claims to represent an organization, hang up and call back using the official number from their website, your account statement, or the back of your card.
Be especially wary of callers creating urgency or threatening negative consequences if you don’t act immediately—this is a classic pressure tactic used by scammers.
Use a verbal password with family members for phone communications if you’re concerned about voice spoofing.

Remember that good cybersecurity practices extend to phone communications. The same caution you apply to suspicious emails should be applied to unexpected phone calls, regardless of what the caller ID shows.

6. Report Suspicious Calls

Reporting spoofed calls helps authorities track scam patterns and may lead to enforcement actions against the perpetrators. It also contributes to the databases used by call-blocking apps and carriers to protect other consumers. Taking a few minutes to report these calls can make a real difference in the collective fight against phone scams.

Here’s where to report spoofed calls:

Federal Communications Commission (FCC): File a complaint at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Report at reportfraud.ftc.gov
Your phone carrier: Most have dedicated channels for reporting spam calls
Your call-blocking app: Use the reporting feature to improve their detection algorithms

When reporting, include as much detail as possible: the spoofed number, the time of the call, what the caller claimed, and any other relevant information. This data helps investigators identify patterns and potentially track down the source of the spoofing operation.

7. Use a Secondary Phone Number

Creating a separation between your primary phone number and the one you share publicly can significantly reduce your exposure to spoofing attacks. Secondary phone numbers act as a buffer, allowing you to maintain control over who has access to your main line while still being reachable when necessary.

Several services offer virtual phone numbers that forward to your real number:

Google Voice: Provides a free U.S. phone number that can forward calls to your mobile device.
Burner: Offers temporary phone numbers that can be “burned” and replaced if they start receiving too many spam calls.
Hushed: Provides private numbers with customizable voicemail and texting capabilities.

Use these secondary numbers when:

Signing up for online services or loyalty programs
Posting on public forums or marketplace listings
Filling out forms at stores or for warranties
Communicating with people you don’t fully trust

This strategy creates an additional layer between scammers and your primary number, making it harder for them to target you directly. If a secondary number begins receiving too many suspicious calls, you can simply replace it without affecting your main line.

8. Consider a Call Authentication Service

For those who regularly receive important calls from unknown numbers—such as business owners, job seekers, or medical patients—a call authentication service can provide an extra layer of security while ensuring you don’t miss important communications.

These services work by requiring callers to complete a brief verification process before their call is connected to you. This might involve:

Pressing a specific key in response to a prompt
Speaking their name, which is then played for you before you accept the call
Solving a simple CAPTCHA-like challenge

Services like Jolly, YouMail, and some premium features in call-blocking apps offer these capabilities. While this approach adds friction to the calling process, it effectively eliminates automated robocalls and deters many scammers who won’t bother with the verification step.

This solution is particularly valuable for professionals who need to maintain an open line for legitimate callers while filtering out the noise of spoofed and spam calls. The minor inconvenience for legitimate callers is often worth the significant reduction in unwanted calls.

9. Keep Your Devices and Apps Updated

Regular updates to your phone’s operating system and security apps are crucial for maintaining protection against evolving spoofing techniques. Manufacturers and developers continually improve their security features and patch vulnerabilities that scammers might exploit.

Establish these update habits:

Enable automatic updates for your phone’s operating system
Regularly check for updates to your call-blocking and security apps
Review your phone’s security settings after major operating system updates
Keep your carrier’s official app updated for the latest protection features

Many security improvements happen behind the scenes in these updates, strengthening the systems that identify and block spoofed calls. Staying current with updates ensures you benefit from the latest protection technologies as they’re developed and deployed.

Understanding the Legal Landscape of Caller ID Spoofing

While the technical battle against spoofing continues, it’s worth understanding the legal framework that addresses this issue. The Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 makes it illegal to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information “with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.”

This means that not all caller ID modification is illegal—there are legitimate uses, such as:

A doctor calling from a personal phone but displaying the clinic’s number
A business displaying its main number rather than an extension
Domestic violence shelters masking their actual location

However, the FCC has been increasingly aggressive in pursuing illegal spoofing operations. In recent years, they’ve issued record fines against robocall operations that use spoofed numbers to conduct scams. The challenge remains that many of these operations are based overseas, making enforcement difficult.

The TRACED Act, signed into law in December 2019, has given regulators additional tools to combat spoofing by extending the statute of limitations for these violations and mandating the adoption of call authentication technologies like STIR/SHAKEN.

What to Do If You’ve Been Spoofed

Sometimes you might discover that your own phone number has been spoofed—used by scammers to make calls to others. This can result in angry callbacks from people who think you’ve been calling them. If this happens to you:

Don’t panic. You’re not responsible for the calls made by someone spoofing your number.
Record a clear voicemail message explaining that your number has been spoofed and you are not making the spam calls people might be receiving.
Report the situation to the FCC and your carrier.
Consider temporarily using a call-screening service to manage the influx of angry callbacks.
Monitor your accounts for any suspicious activity, as having your number spoofed could be part of a larger attempt to access your personal information.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix when your number has been spoofed. Scammers typically move on to different numbers relatively quickly, so the problem usually resolves itself within a few days or weeks. In extreme cases, you might consider changing your phone number, though this should be a last resort given the inconvenience involved.

The Future of Caller ID Protection

The battle against caller ID spoofing continues to evolve, with promising developments on the horizon. As we look to the future of data protection, several emerging technologies and approaches may provide better protection:

Enhanced STIR/SHAKEN implementation: As this framework becomes more widely adopted internationally, its effectiveness will increase.
AI-powered call screening: More sophisticated algorithms will better distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent calls.
Blockchain-based caller verification: Some companies are exploring decentralized approaches to caller authentication.
Biometric voice authentication: Voice recognition may eventually provide another layer of caller verification.

The telecommunications industry, regulators, and technology companies are all working to address the spoofing problem from different angles. While a complete solution may still be years away, each incremental improvement helps reduce the effectiveness of spoofing as a tactic for scammers.

Comprehensive Protection Beyond Phone Calls

Caller ID spoofing is just one aspect of the broader landscape of identity-based scams. For complete protection, consider how spoofed calls fit into your overall family cybersecurity plan. Scammers who use spoofed calls often combine this tactic with other approaches:

Following up spoofed calls with fraudulent emails or texts
Using information gathered from one contact method to make other scam attempts more convincing
Attempting to install malware or gain access to your accounts

A comprehensive security approach might include:

Using a complete cybersecurity solution that protects against multiple threat vectors
Implementing strong, unique passwords with a password manager
Enabling two-factor authentication on all important accounts
Regularly checking your credit reports for unauthorized activity
Considering an identity protection service that monitors for misuse of your personal information

By taking a holistic approach to your digital security, you create multiple layers of protection that work together to keep you safe from increasingly sophisticated scams.

Conclusion: Stay Vigilant Against Evolving Threats

Caller ID spoofing remains one of the most common tactics in the scammer’s playbook, but with the right combination of technology, awareness, and caution, you can significantly reduce your risk. The nine methods outlined in this guide provide a comprehensive approach to protecting yourself and your family from this pervasive threat.

Remember that no single solution is perfect—the most effective protection comes from combining multiple approaches and maintaining a healthy skepticism about unexpected calls, regardless of what the caller ID displays. As spoofing techniques evolve, so too will the technologies and strategies to combat them.

By staying informed about the latest scams, keeping your devices updated, and using the available protection tools, you can create a robust defense against caller ID spoofing and enjoy greater peace of mind when your phone rings.

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