State Representative Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville) plans to introduce legislation that would “prohibit the disguising of caller identification information in the state,” and help cut the large number of these scamming calls in Georgia.
According to Williams, the Neighbor Spoofing Protection Act would implement penalties against these callers. “Disguising caller identification does not only pose a risk to the recipients of these calls, but it hurts Georgia businesses whose name and phone numbers are being misappropriated,” said Rep. Williams.
The Neighbor Spoofing Protection Act would prohibit individuals, companies and other organizations from knowingly misleading or providing inaccurate information relating to their caller identification with the intent to defraud, cause harm or scam someone of anything of value. Under this legislation, the Public Service Commission would fine up to $2,000 in the form of an administrative penalty for violators.
This legislation, however, would not prohibit a law enforcement agency from disguising caller identification if a court order specifically authorizes the use of caller identification manipulation. Additionally, phone service providers would also be exempt if it is authorized or required by federal law.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has been warning the public about imposter schemes in which scammers use call spoofing technology to convince consumers to pay money and/or provide their financial or personal identifying information. His warning extends to be cautious of caller ID and asks the public not to rely on this if they feel something is suspicious.
“Many people rely on caller ID to help them determine whether a call is legitimate or a scam,” said Carr. “Unfortunately, with the advent of spoofing technology, you can’t always trust your caller ID. While we work with federal officials to crack down on illegal robocalls and spoofing technology, the Department of Law will continue to remain vigilant and provide alerts to help Georgians stay ahead of scammers.”
According to Carr, spoofing technology allows scammers to falsify the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity and lend credibility to their schemes, Through this technology, they are able to the caller ID so that it displays the actual number and/or name of a legitimate organization. Although the details vary, the scams generally present an urgent scenario requiring consumers to immediately pay money, provide access to bank or credit card accounts or share their Social Security number.
According to Rep. Williams, lawmakers in other states have begun to pass similar legislation to help limit the increasing number of spoof calls. The Neighbor Spoofing Protection Act seeks join federal efforts by strengthening Georgia’s laws against this nationwide issue, he said.
