Caller ID hung up the phone on lots of pranksters, but now, according to today's Star Ledger, there's a way around that technology. Dubbed spoofing, it sounds a lot more sinister than finding a way to call ex-boyfriends and hang up without them finding out. ...

While details still are unfolding on how the New Brunswick emergency call and others like it were faked, experts on privacy and security warn that Internet technology and legal loopholes are handing hoaxsters a powerful weapon to dupe everyone: caller ID "spoofing."

Over the past few months, companies such as Camophone, CovertCall, Telespoof and SpoofTel have sprouted online with offers to place calls that display any callback number you want, for just pennies a minute.

"Be Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime," proclaims the Web site of PI Phone.

No calling and pretending to be the Barista. We get in enough trouble already.

April 11, 2005 in Controversy | Permalink