New Technology Defeating Caller ID
Dave Eberhart, NewsMax.com
Monday, Nov. 29, 2004
You are a debt collector or, worse yet, a stalker. Your target has long ago used the “Caller ID” phone feature to ensure you don’t get through. You desperately want to penetrate the privacy barrier.
WHO ARE YOU GONNA CALL?
The answer is not “Ghostbusters,” but perhaps a new outfit that calls itself “Camophone.”
Campohone’s “Privacy Guard” service fixes it so that you can make calls anywhere to the United States – and you are in control of the Caller ID that is sent to whoever you are calling.
It’s simple, easy – and leaves a very small footprint for anyone to follow.
According to the company’s Web site, the instructions are straightforward enough:
“To make a telephone call, you fill out our simple web form with 1) Phone number of party you are calling, 2) A phone number to reach you, and 3) The Caller ID you wish to send. At the click of a button, the system will call you first, then call the party you are attempting to reach. The called party will receive the caller ID that you specified. The system will then bridge the two calls together. This method is private and untraceable.”
Cool.
But can the average stalker bear the costs?
Sure.
As the company boasts, “Our service costs are less than standard telephone service! Our Privacy Guard service costs only 5 cents per minute. We accept payment through Paypal and credit cards.”
So, Mr. Bill Collector, sign up in seconds on the Net using Paypal or a credit card. You’re ready to rock and roll!
And the party calling under false pretenses need not worry about getting traced. The Camophone Web site is registered to a third-party Web-hosting firm in New Jersey called Registerfly.com, which keeps the identities of customers confidential on the grounds that this protects its users from identity theft, spam and telemarketing calls.
Other companies like Star38.com are a little more circumspect – not to mention responsible – with the power of the tool they are peddling:
“The rules of the game are changing once again, and gone are the days of truly knowing who is on the other end of the telephone. Star38.com’s core service is convenient and simple: We provide a secure, easy-to-use interface to mask your Caller-ID information, so you can appear to be calling from any phone number, anywhere.
“Our innovative technology provides agencies with the ability to substantially reduce the cost and complexity associated with undercover telecommunications. Please note that this service is not available to the general public.
“Due to privacy and security issues Star38.com’s services are only available for official use by law enforcement agencies.”
But even Star38’s standards were not always so pristine. When Star38 launched in September, its decision to market to debt-collection companies generated so much anger among consumers that the small firm quickly changed sales tactics.
Star38 now says that approach was “flawed.”
Bill collectors and stalkers aside, how about those pesky salesmen and saleswomen who call at dinnertime?
Patricia Kachura, vice president of ethics and consumer affairs at the Direct Marketing Association, said using technology to mask a marketer’s identity is illegal under the Telemarketing Sales Rule, which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission.
WE private people don't have a chance to get a one up on the Sales people who invade our homes night and day. Guess we shouldn't answer our phones at all?
I had a privacy mode adapted to my phone and it let all the Sales persons, Vendors and whomevers in and kept my husband out.
He had to send me a fax which said "What the F have you done to the phone system now"?
So Ihad it removed.
My only safety net is my voicemail which comes on if I am on the phone or when I am away ., At least that way I can censor or rather screen my calls.
Thwre is no end to the lengths some vendors will go to ,in order to get us on the phone. It sucks.!!!!
D
aka deltacent aka deltater
Life may not be the party I had hoped for.......
But while I'm here I might just as well listen to the music and dance..
We just don't answer the phone unless we recognize the caller/phone number. It is a crock though. If anything, THIS should be illegal and smap email legalized - I'd much rather highlight a bunch of emails and click DELETE than have to continually answer the phone all day to people I don't want to talk to.
I have call waiting Sean, beep beep in my ear while I am on the phone talking to a client. Aggravates me to death. I ignore it as the person I am talking to can not hear the beep( ANNOYING ANNOYING) if THE PEOPLE ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN GETTING TO ME, they can leave a message and I will return their calls.
However I was married to a very curious man. when the phone rang as we were just starting dinner he would get up go over to the phone, engage in ; minutia long enough to have his food go cold, With me yelling hang up hang up.
I actually had to sit him down and have a heart to heart about dinner callers.
Sacre Bleu! ( Watch Heavens come on and correct my French)
D
aka deltacent aka deltater
Life may not be the party I had hoped for.......
But while I'm here I might just as well listen to the music and dance..
Aren't you supposed to be the expert on French down in loosyana?
If I do end up with a telemarketer on the line I usually give them about 20 seconds before making it clear that I'm not subscribing to anything and want them to lose my phone number. I used to have fun with them and make animal noises and talk nonsense to them, but I just don't have time for that anymore. However I refuse to be excessively rude to a person on the other end of the line who is just doing their job. The only ones I'm rude to are the ones who are thick-headed and pushy and won't take NO for an answer. They can't help being stupid to be sure, but they need to be made aware that they are in fact stupid.
most of the time it's someone calling trying to get me to come work for them
for some odd reason, while the word "Ganya" was still just a thought-dropping in my head, I thought it'd only be four letters. But apparently it's five. yep.
I got caught a few months ago by a senior citizen caller. she started out by telling me she was 72 years old and was doing this for a little something extra cause Social security couldn't pay her medicines. Well I was trying to get myself out of this without a confrontation and without being nasty, but i kept saying over and over and I am happy with the service Ihave, Until I couldn't stand it any more so I gave her the number of a girlfriend to call Hee Hee. D
aka deltacent aka deltater
Life may not be the party I had hoped for.......
But while I'm here I might just as well listen to the music and dance..
Delta said this in post #6 : I got caught a few months ago by a senior citizen caller. she started out by telling me she was 72 years old and was doing this for a little something extra cause Social security couldn't pay her medicines. Well I was trying to get myself out of this without a confrontation and without being nasty, but i kept saying over and over and I am happy with the service Ihave, Until I couldn't stand it any more so I gave her the number of a girlfriend to call Hee Hee. D
11-30-2004 01:48 AM
It is a crock though. If anything, THIS should be illegal and smap email legalized - I'd much rather highlight a bunch of emails and click DELETE than have to continually answer the phone all day to people I don't want to talk to.
