SCENE AND WE'LL HAVE LIVE
UPDATES TOMORROW MORNING.
HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN A PHONE
CALL FROM YOUR OWN NUMBER OR ONE
THAT WAS JUST A FEW DIGITS OFF?
IT'S CALLED NEIGHBORHOOD
SPOOFING AND IT'S THE LATEST
ILLEGAL SCAM TO GET YOU TO
ANSWER YOUR PHONE.
THAT HAD GENE FROM HASTINGS AND
SANDY FROM WILMER WONDERING HOW
DOES SPOOFING WORK?
WHEN YOU FIRST HAD YOUR OWN
NUMBER CALL YOU, WHAT DID YOU
THINK?
IT WAS KIND OF CRAZY.
IT HONESTLY WAS KIND OF
SCARY.
I WASN'T SURE IF THERE WAS
SOMETHING WRONG WITH VERIZON.
I WAS NERVOUS.
I THOUGHT
SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO A
FAMILY MEMBER IN THAT AREA.
THEY'RE 99.999% ILLEGITIMATE
CALLS.
Reporter: CYBER SECURITY
EXPERT.
WHAT IS ILLEGAL IS CALLER
I.D.
SPOOFING FOR THE INTENT OF
COMMITTING A FRAUDULENT ACT.
ANY IDEA HOW THEY ACTUALLY DO
THAT?
NO CLUE.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY'RE
GETTING MY PHONE NUMBER FROM.
YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE
PHONE NETWORK ISN'T JUST A
SINGLE NETWORK.
IT'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT
NETWORKS STRUNG TOGETHER WITH
DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES.
BECAUSE THE TELEPHONE NETWORK
IS BY ITS NATURE VERY OPEN, THAT
ALLOWED THE SCAMMERS AND
SPAMMERS AND TELEMARKETERS TO
CONNECT INTO THAT PHONE NETWORK.
THEY CAN DO THOUSANDS OF
PHONE CALLS AT A TIME AND YOU
HAPPENED TO BE THE ONE THAT
PICKS UP.
YEAH.
THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY JUST
USING SOFTWARE THAT ROUTES THEIR
PHONE SYSTEM.
IT'S VERY EASY TO DO.
Reporter: HOW EASY?
IT TOOK CHRIS LESS THAN 30
SECONDS USING AN APP FROM THE
APP STORE.
THIS IS LEGAL AS LONG AS WE'RE
NOT TRYING TO SCAM SOMEONE.
LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES USE
SPOOFING ALL THE TIME LIKE WHEN
ALL THE LINES IN ONE BUILDING
SHOW UP AS ONE NUMBER.
MY OWN NUMBER IS GOING TO
CALL ME.
Reporter: HE TYPED MY
NUMBERS INTO THE APP ON HIS
PHONE.
OH, MY GOSH.
I'M GOING TO STEP AWAY SO I
CAN HEAR YOU.
HELLO?
HELLO, HEATHER.
MY NAME IS HEATHER AND I'M
CALLING TO SEE IF YOU'D LIKE TO
HAVE A FREE CRUISE.
IT'S CRAZY WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS
DOING TO US.
WE THINK THERE'S BENEFITS TO IT
BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME CON.
IT CAN BE ANYTHING FROM A
SINGLE PERSON SITTING IN THEIR
HOME, USING AN APP IN THEIR
PHONE.
THERE CAN BE BUSINESSES DESIGNED
TO BE CALL CENTER IN SCOPE AND
SIZE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REAL
ANSWER IS.
I JUST KNOW SOMETHING NEEDS TO
BE DONE.
Reporter: HEATHER BROWN,
WCCO 4 NEWS.
OUR EXPERT SAYS STOPPING
THESE CALLS IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS
THE GOVERNMENT CRACKING DOWN.
HE SAYS NEW LAWS ARE NEEDED
ALONG WITH THE TECHNOLOGY TO END
ROBO CALLS.
THE FCC SAYS DO NOT ANSWER
THESE CALLS.
