Caller ID Spoofing

Source- This post on the Caller ID Spoofing has been created based on the article “What are the various efforts being taken to mitigate caller ID spoofing?What are the various efforts being taken to mitigate caller ID spoofing?” published in “The Hindu” on 29 July 2024.

About Caller ID Spoofing

1. Caller ID spoofing is the technique of falsifying the phone number that a call appears to originate from.

2. It is relatively easy to perform and has been used by enthusiasts, telemarketers, and fraudsters.

3. Uses and Risks:

i) Shielding Identity: Malicious individuals use spoofing to hide their identity during illicit activities.

ii) Social Engineering: Spoofed caller IDs exploit the trust associated with familiar numbers to carry out social engineering attacks.

iii) Circumventing Call Blocking: Spoofing helps bypass standard call blocking systems.

iv) Exploiting IVR Systems: It can be used to exploit vulnerabilities in insecure Interactive Voice Response systems.

4. Legal Status and Commercial Services: 

i) Caller ID spoofing is legal in many jurisdictions.

ii) Various companies offer caller ID spoofing services, with the first commercial service launching in 2004.

5. Financial Impact:

i) Loss of revenue to telecom providers.

ii)Users face financial losses due to scam calls.

iii)Law Enforcement agency faces difficulty in investigating crimes involving spoofed IDs.

6. Technical and Regulatory Efforts

i) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) published a technical report in 2021 recommending PKI-based authentication to counter spoofing.

ii) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended the integration of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) to display caller names based on KYC documents.

iii) A 2022 consultation paper acknowledges the problem but lacks a detailed plan for tackling caller ID spoofing.

iv) Department of Telecommunications (DoT):In May 2024, devised a system to identify and block international calls with manipulated Calling Line Identity (CLI).

v) DoT also issued directions to telecom operators to prevent such calls, though the effectiveness and implementation details are unclear.

Benefits of Fixing Caller ID Spoofing

1) For Consumers:

i) Reduction in spam and fraud calls.

ii) Elimination of fraud reliant on false caller identity representation.

2) For Telecommunications Providers:  Savings on revenue otherwise lost due to spoofing.

3) For Government and Public:

i)  Increased revenue contributing to the economy.

ii)  Enhanced public safety through reduced fraudulent activities.

UPSC Syllabus: Science and technology