Your phone displays your bank's number. You answer with confidence — and find yourself talking to a scammer. This is phone number spoofing: a technique that allows any number to be displayed during a call. It is one of the most dangerous forms of phone fraud because it exploits your trust in caller ID.
What is phone spoofing?
Spoofing means manipulating the number shown on the recipient's phone. VoIP protocols allow the caller to freely choose which number is displayed. For a few dozen euros a month, anyone can make calls displaying any number they choose — including that of your bank or the CPAM.
Why caller ID alone cannot be trusted
The displayed number is simply information the caller chooses to transmit — it can be falsified. Legitimate organisations — your bank, the CPAM, the tax authority — will never ask you to provide an SMS code or authorise a transaction over the phone. If you suspect spoofing, hang up and call back using the official number you find yourself on the organisation's website or app.
How TelCheck helps
TelCheck's community-based reputation scores reveal if a number has previously been used in spoofing attacks. Search the displayed number on TelCheck and report any spoofed call you identify to help protect others. Also report to Signal Conso (signalconso.gouv.fr).