Technology can be both a blessing and a curse, and caller id technology is no exception. Caller id was a great invention, letting you know who was calling in but now companies are getting in on the act with fake caller id services. Both fake caller id and normal caller id can put your privacy and safety at risk. Here we will look at what sorts of dangers are involved and what you can do to protect yourself.
The world of caller ID is vastly expanding and comes with every new phone nowadays both mobiles and land line telephones, it's a great way to know who is calling in but now there are companies that provide fake caller ID services both this and regular caller ID can put your safety at risk. Lets have a quick look why they can be safety risks and how you can protect yourself.
Firstly we will have a quick overview of what caller ID is.Caller ID is a feature on your phone that displays the phone number of who is calling in before you answer, which we all find convenient, and caller ID usually has presets where you can have persons name displayed rather than their phone number making it even more convenient.
But caller ID with ever growing technology is not all that is cracked up to be as it comes with some safety risks, one of the main one is fake caller id, so lets have a look at this one first.
There are two main types of fake caller ID, one is services that offer it, mainly to other companies like debt collection agencies and other's of the like, so they can call a customer and almost guarantee an answer, this is fine as they have jobs and it's practically a need to do thing these days. This works by scrambling a number to make out another number is calling you. But these phone and caller ID services can fall into the wrong hands which can create a risk for your privacy due to the fact that it could be a con artists or someone trying to sell you a scam so you can give your personal information. And also because sometime's when they scramble the phone number it is actually someone else phone number.
The other fake caller ID hazard is what has been classed as 'spoof caller Id' This form of caller ID is classed as hacking. It works by the hacker/caller tampering with the phone and caller ID to make the number appear on your phone as anything they want, even the White House number if they had it. This creates a privacy risk to you as it is usually people who are con artists trying to get personal information from you and you could give it to them if the number that is displayed on your phone is from a reliable source that you know like a service or a company.
Another problematic thing with caller ID that can put your privacy and safety at risk is the normal caller ID. If you call someone you don't know or unsure of like for example a person gave you their number for a date or something and you go ahead an call them, your number will instantly show up on their caller ID. This creates a risk why? It does because some people will be able to get your personal information from your phone number and commit fraud and other such criminal acts or even Harass you.
Here are some ways you can protect yourself and caller ID information:Never answer a call that you are unsure whose number it is or if you do don't give out any personal information.
If you get a call from a company and are unsure who they are or don't recognize their number and they want information ask for their address and go there in person to give the information. You will know by how they react if they are real or not.
Before you make a call to someone you hardly know or just met dial the special code to disable your number showing up on their phone or ring the phone and caller ID service and make your caller ID anonymous or ring from a pre paid mobile or a pay phone.
Only use your caller ID with people you trust. Caller ID is a great piece of technology but always be aware when you are using caller ID as not everyone is honest and always take safety measures to ensure your privacy.
