Hi, you just called me?

Yesterday 11 people called me and each conversation started with this: “Hi, you just called me?”. The problem is, I didn’t call any one of those people.

A few of the people I spoke to said that they received a call from my telephone number and the person on the line claimed to be someone at a doctors office. Apparently I’ve been the victim of cell phone spoofing.

Cell phone spoofing occurs when the caller’s number is imitating a different telephone number in order that the caller can masquerade themselves and claim to be a representative of a company or even the government. Most of the time you won’t know your cell phone number is being used in a spoof, until the victim on the other side calls you back and starts yelling at you.

If you receive a phone call from a telephone number you don’t recognize (even if it is a local number), do NOT give your personal information to the person calling, unless you are certain of their identity. If your a victim on the other side where your phone number has possibly been imitated or spoofed, please contact your carrier and let them know.

For more information or to file a complaint, please contact the FCC:

By phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322); ASL Videophone: 1-844-432-2275
By mail (please include your name, address, contact information and as much detail about your complaint as possible):
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20554