Rep. Engel Anti-Spoofing Bill Passes Subcommittee

Press Release

Congressman Eliot Engel's legislation to stop the use of fake Caller IDs, which are often used to swindle people, the Truth in Caller ID Act (H.R. 1258) passed unanimously in the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet.

‘Spoofing' is the term describing technology to falsify the name and phone number appearing on Caller ID. For example, a ‘spoofer' can pretend to be calling from a bank to persuade a person to give their Social Security and/or credit card numbers and other personal information. This information is then used to fraudulently obtain credit cards or withdraw money from their bank account.

Rep. Engel, a senior member of the House Energy & Commerce committee, called identity theft a growing problem across the United States. "This is another example of technology being misused by the unscrupulous to scam the unsuspecting," he said. "Earlier this year, the New York City Police Department uncovered an identity theft ring, where over 6,000 people were victimized. The criminals stole over $15 million from banks and ruined the credit of thousands of hard-working Americans. These crimes were committed with the weapon of Caller ID spoofing. The scariest part is this weapon is available to anybody with a web browser."

Rep. Engel added, "If spoofers are able to get your information and do the cyber equivalent of ransacking your house, it can literally take years to correct the damage. Even worse, such technology can be used by stalkers and potentially violent criminals as well. Something must be done before more lives are potentially lost or ruined."

The 11-term congressman said that the problem is not limited to criminal conduct, but sometimes for political dirty tricks. Complaints flooded into some Congressional offices in 2007 after constituents received angry phone calls, which Caller ID identified as coming from a Congressional office.

Rep. Engel's legislation would amend the Communications Act of 1934 making it illegal to alter Caller ID with "intent to defraud or cause harm" and gives the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to developed regulations to enforce the new law. By amending the 1934 law, the legislation keeps penalties already in the law, with violators facing $10,000 in fines and/or up to a year in jail.

To ‘spoof', a person need only to log onto a website, put in his or her phone number, the number they are calling, and the number they want to appear on the Caller ID. The website calls back -- connects to the person they are calling and masks their true identity. Even the sound of his or her voice can be altered.

Rep. Engel continued, "I have received a growing number of complaints from constituents about these tactics. Some individuals have been victimized and my office has worked to assist them in restoring their good credit. I remind people once again to never provide their personal information over the phone."

The bill was introduced along with Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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