So who's calling from Washington DC 202 000 0000?

Thank you for posting the link, if you noticed, I also posted the link in the original message. It was after seeing that site actually is what left me with more questions. Especially when hearing so many people on the no-call list saying they've gotten these "odd" calls too.

The main purpose of these caller ID spoofing services is to reach a larger customer base.

After Caller ID became available there were privacy concerns and the phone company allowed the blocking of caller ID by entering a code into your phone (*67 in my home state of NY). In addition to those who wanted the privacy, various companies also began to block their outgoing caller information when contacting people. The companies did not want to receive call backs from people who might have been upset at them or from people using the call return feature (*69 in NY).

Needless to say this caused a pretty big backlash from consumers at the onslaught of "Private Caller" phone calls they'd be receiving so a feature was developed that allowed callers to block calls from those who kept their ID private (*77). A person who dialed *77 wouldn't get those bothersome phone calls in the middle of dinner, while in the shower etc.

In response to this, the companies began spoofing caller ID information. Generally this is done using VoIP, but it can be done by businesses with their own phone systems as well. Since the ID is spoofed they don't have to worry about people calling them back, and they also bypass the private call blockers as long as SOMETHING comes up on the caller ID.

As someone mentioned above the VoIP call ID spoofers are publicly available and actually quite cheap. Personally, I use them for jokes, particularly on Halloween when I was calling all my friends from (666) 666-6666. It gave people quite a laugh and was well worth the few dollars I bought the card for.

The only limitations on the commercially available ones is that you are unable to place calls to 911 and your desired caller ID appearence must follow the conventional format of (###) ###-####. That means you can't call people from 411, 911, 0, etc.

One thing to keep in mind though is that using them for illegal purposes will get you in trouble as the popular services like SpoofCard do log every call made using their system and will hand over the records if subpoenaed (as stated on their site).

Anyone receiving such phone calls should keep in mind this is a multi-billion dollar presidential election that we're seeing unfold and every phone call is critical. These people will use spoofers to reach out to those voters who block private calls as there are hundreds of thousands of them. I wouldn't be alarmed at all.

Bottom line is, if for some reason you do feel uncomfortable answering a spoofed ID... don't pick up. The machine will move on to the next name on the list and annoy them instead.

Calling them back is a complete and utter waste of your time because it's not their number. It's not anyone's number. (202) 000-0000 can not exist because 000 is not a proper exchange. I don't want to bore everyone any more though...

reply to post by Djarums


Also though local number portability is allowing people to have pretty much any number, anywhere they want. The phone companies are tossing new numbers around like crazy to try and steal customers from one another. In the next few years records for who has what number is going to start to get messy due to some seriously cut-throat competition.

Originally posted by Djarums
Anyone receiving such phone calls should keep in mind this is a multi-billion dollar presidential election that we're seeing unfold and every phone call is critical. These people will use spoofers to reach out to those voters who block private calls as there are hundreds of thousands of them. I wouldn't be alarmed at all.

Bottom line is, if for some reason you do feel uncomfortable answering a spoofed ID... don't pick up. The machine will move on to the next name on the list and annoy them instead.

I'd disagree with your election statement in terms of the permissibility. Personally I find it disgusting that politicians and/or their immediate volunteers would resort using the same low level tactics as scumbag telemarketers but then again they are of the same ilk anyways. People are entitled to their privacy period. Its almost ironic that the measures being used will most likely be outlawed in the near future given who is making the calls.

Your approach on not answering calls is flawed. The whole point of spoofing is exactly that to spoof the source caller. What happens when numbers start to appear from the same exchange prefix/area code. For the caller they know your area code anyways (how else could they call you). Obviously very odd numbers patterns like 000 require little thought but these scumbags are getting more savvy.

brill

[edit on 30-3-2008 by brill]

When I put in 202-000-0000 it indeed says District of Columbia. Hmmm maybe its only a government 1 way number. On a side note, back in 8th grade I went to call my friend from home. I picked it up and heard 2 Asian women speaking. I tried talking, but they didnt hear. All I know is that phones can be weird.

I keep getting calls from a 1-800-545-2381 looking for a Jenaro Belijonis and when I wait through the automated stuff and push the button to tell them they don't have the right person it hangs up. I cant find any record of this number anywhere and I would love to find out who they are. They have been doing this for a year or longer and if I find out where they are I'm going to have it stopped cold.

Last year I had a registered phone number through Skype. Skype did not have any numbers with area codes in Canada so I choose a Michigan one of 313.

When I called people with my Skye phone the recipient would get weird numbers or my Skype nickname over their ID machines. Some numbers were like you described with all zero or 1234567.

Skype is a awesome alternative to land phones and is very inexpensive. So the popularity of the technology is getting out there more and more.

reply to post by Shakesbeer


I remember getting, and I kid you not, a "123-4567" telephone number billed to my account from an "Acme, NC" ever so often. I was on a "phone coop" in a rural area, at the time, and not online at all. Up to then, never had been.

But I bought a NC map, lived in NC at the time, had never heard of the town, and could not find it on the map.

I finally decided it was some type of bogus way the coop was making up for lost charges or something like that and praying that they didn't get caught. Only 2 or 3 cents a month, but when you added it up per user per year, it no doubt came to quite a bit.

Of course, that was not a cell phone, but your plight reminded me of this.

I did get repeated phone calls, no message, from a cell phone, once upon a time, to a cell phone I had, from somewhere in Communist China.

This had me very upset, as this was post-9/11 with Homeland Security and all that jazz, and I feared I would be "tagged" for it.

The phone company laughed at me and said probably someone's child had gotten hold of their cell phone.

The phone calls never lasted more than a few seconds, either.

Wow, I dare say I got a call from the same number. AC looks familair. When I answered they said they were froma government office. Would not specify. They also said My wife was selected to recieve a tax rebate of $600 per month until August.......Yeah right. Scary thing is they actually had my wifes bank..... I corrected them and told them the name of another bank randomly. Knew better than to give out bank account info. They proceeded to call 3 more times before giving up. Each time was a different person, not to sound rude, but of far east decent (Accent) and just said a government office thats part of the tax office.

They could have at least got the word treasury right..........

This number is pretty strange, especially considering everyone's stories are vaguely familiar but there doesn't seem to be a clear-cut goal of the number. I sort of doubt these are all joke numbers seeing how there doesn't seem to be a punch-line. But what would be the point of these "poll-like" questions?

I got the same call from 202-000-0000 and the man on the other line was very rude. He told me he was calling from Frontiers of Freedom and he hung up on me. He was very difficult to understand because the phone sounded as if it had a bad connection. His voice was a little creepy too.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS

I wonder if he meant these people? Frontiers of Freedom