How is it possible that scammers can make their number look like your banks number? And if they can do that, why can’t they make it so if you try to call the bank it goes to them instead?

Question

How is it possible that scammers can make their number look like your banks number? And if they can do that, why can’t they make it so if you try to call the bank it goes to them instead?

In: Technology

Answer 1

Your phone provider doesn’t verify incoming caller ID. It’s sort of like looking at the return address printed on an envelope. The person that mails the letter can put anything they want on there, because their carrier lets them.

It’s entirely possible to do this securely, but until we start making phone service providers liable for spoofed caller IDs, they don’t have much motivation.