October 23, 2018
CID Spoofing vs Neighbor Spoofing
When a person or organization masks the actual number they are calling from, it’s known as “caller ID spoofing.”
While these spoofed calls can be frustrating, there are some legitimate uses for them. For instance, an organization may display its toll-free number, rather than a direct line to whoever placed the call. However, a majority of these calls are spam, but they’re not necessarily illegal.
Here’s a breakdown on CID spoofing and neighbor spoofing. Let’s see how they can increase answer rates, some of their potential issues, and best practices when incorporating the technology.
What is Caller ID Spoofing?
Caller ID spoofing refers to any time the originating phone number is changed to appear differently. If a doctor doesn’t want their home number to appear, they could spoof it to their office number. Or in contrast, spoofing could trick someone into answering a phone call they might not otherwise pick up.
Proper CID spoofing can be tricky, but it’s not always illegal. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):
“spoofing is against the law when used to “transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value.”
What is Neighbor Spoofing?
Neighbor Spoofing, also known as NPA-NXX spoofing, is when a caller uses the same first six digits of your phone number. Neighbor spoofing is legal as long as there is no intended harm, fraud, or stealing on the spoofers end of the call.
Before cell phones, you received your phone number based on the geographical city/town you resided. Today the vast majority of people who move out of state keep their old phone numbers. Because of this, it’s easy to assume that someone may be calling from your hometown. People answer these calls more frequently because they don’t want to miss anything important.
Why Are Successful Telemarketers Using Neighbor Spoofing?
Data has shown that receiving a call from a local, yet an unknown number is tempting to answer. Users are four times more likely to answer an unknown local number rather than unlisted or toll-free numbers.
When a person answers the phone and realizes that the caller isn’t local, it’s fairly obvious what the purpose of the call is. However, when combined with a well-scripted introduction, neighbor spoofing can be a successful tactic for increasing answer rates.
While some people are suspicious of neighbor spoofing, or local presence dialing, others don’t seem to mind it. Some people even, react no differently at all for the rest of the call.
These factors and consistent usage of local presence dialing indicate a growing success with this method. However, to remain successful, an organization must monitor its reputation among call receivers. Numbers can get marked as “spam,” and algorithms identify that to a receiver. People are far less likely to pick up a scammy phone call.
Call-Heavy Industries that Use Neighbor Spoofing
- Healthcare
- Automotive
- Insurance
- Real Estate
- Mortgage/Banking
Monitoring Your Caller ID Against Being Spoofed
If you’re in a call-heavy industry, it’s imperative that you monitor the reputation of your outgoing numbers. Even if you aren’t doing anything wrong or illegal, it’s possible that scammers are spoofing your actual number for malicious purposes. The chances of your numbers being affected by caller ID spoofing or neighbor spoofing are high.
Even though this isn’t your fault, your call answer rate could plummet. Monitoring your caller ID reputation with software can make the process quick and help counter issues such as:
Avoid Fines
The FCC monitors and enforces the law surrounding telemarketing. Some of their latest fines against those using neighbor spoofing illegally have run into the tens of millions of dollars. A monitoring service like Caller ID Reputation helps you stay abreast of any issues. This proactive awareness helps you avoid fines or other enforcement action by government regulators.
Keep Answer Rates Up
Even if you start with legitimate telephone numbers, it’s likely that those numbers will become compromised eventually. Reputation monitoring services can immediately identify those numbers, so you’re aware right away. Features allow you to switch out the corrupted number for a clean number, so the calls continue to go through successfully.
Boost Sales with a Spotless Reputation
Even if some your numbers are flagged as spam, you don’t want to remain in the same category as phone spammers. Active monitoring and proactive defense of your number integrity keep your calls above the fray. More answered phone calls mean more opportunities for your sales team to make a pitch.
Whether utilizing caller ID spoofing or not, managing your caller IDs reputation will benefit you in many ways. Avoiding fines/penalties and keeping your calls answered undoubtedly boosts revenue and customer rapport.
