Neighbor Spoofing: What It Is And The Best Way To Stop It

A friend recently posted on social media:

"I get five to seven phone calls daily from a 617-388-(random) number. I keep blocking them but new ones keep calling. My number is a 617-388- number. I've called a few back and they're actually people's personal mobile numbers. What is going on?! Anyone know how to stop it?"

This is neighbor spoofing... where robocallers pretend to be neighbors with familiar looking phone numbers. NPR explained neighbor spoofing is:

"... when callers disguise their real phone numbers with a fake phone number that has the same area code and prefix as yours. The idea is you might be more likely to pick up because maybe you're thinking, this call could be my neighbor or my kid's school, someone I know... Even the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, cannot escape... The calls have gotten so aggravating to Pai, he is doubling down and making the fight against spoofers a top priority for the FCC. Robocalls and telemarketers are the No. 1 complaint the agency gets from the public. New technology has made spoofing easier to do and harder to detect. Last year, people received about 2.5 billion robocalls every month...this spring, the FCC started investigating ways to let phone carriers block calls from spoofers..."

The best solution is a system where phone companies authenticate callers. That would stop or block neighbor spoofing. Until then, the FCC is using deterrence. Back in June, the FCC proposed a $120 million fine against a habitual robocall scammer, Adrian Abramovich, based in Florida:

"Over the course of several years, Abramovich's companies disrupted emergency services, bilked vulnerable consumers out of thousands of dollars and hurt legitimate businesses, the FCC contends... TripAdvisor was deluged by consumer complaints about robocalls that the company had not initiated or authorized. After conducting an internal investigation, TripAdvisor determined that the offending calls were linked to a Mexican hotel and resort chain that had contracted with Abramovich for advertising services."

Consumers interested in something they could do might consider Nomorobo, which works (landline or mobile) with many service providers. Users of Apple and Andorid OS phones might investigate Hiya. Windows and BlackBerry phone users can check the CTIA Wireless Association's guide for free (or low-cost) mobile apps to block robocalls.

Robocalls from schools, physicians, airlines, and law enforcement are helpful, while robocalls from scammers aren't. The best solution -- true authentication -- can't come fast enough. Consumers and businesses are suffering.

While I don't wish anything bad on anyone, I am happy that FCC Chairmann Pai is also directly feeling the pain. Perhaps, now he knows how consumers feel. The loss of broadband privacy and Pai's push to kill net neutrality annoy consumers almost as much as neighbor spoofing.