Beware Caller ID Spoofing
By MarlĂş Abarca
Scammers use many tactics to make it more likely for you to engage with them. Scammers can even manipulate your caller ID to make it look like any number they want. This is called “spoofing” a caller ID.
In Iowa, scammers most commonly manipulate your caller ID to make it look like a local number is calling you. “This makes it more likely for you to answer the phone, when you see a local number calling you,” says Marlú Abarca, Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Caseworker & Outreach Specialist. “The best plan of action is to ignore all incoming calls and let them go to voicemail. This will also minimize the number of robocalls that you receive over time.”
In June, the New York StateWide Senior Action Council reported that beneficiaries were experiencing caller ID spoofing that made it look like their doctor’s office was calling. In other states, beneficiaries report receiving calls from people claiming to be CVS, Walgreens, or their local pharmacy.
Here are some tips to avoid being caught in a caller ID spoofing scam:
- Avoid answering phone calls with phone numbers you don’t recognize, even if the call appears to be local.
- Never verify personal or medical information over the phone, even if the caller claims to be your doctor, dentist, or pharmacy.
- If you answer a call from someone claiming to be your doctor, hang up the phone and verify by calling your doctor using the phone number you have on file for them.
- Hang up on callers who claim to be from a government agency. Medicare, the IRS, and the Social Security Administration will never call you to verify your Medicare number, or Social Security Number. If the government has official business with you, they will send you mail.