Spoofing: the number is right, the caller is not
A phone number on your screen is no proof of who is calling. It is a text field the caller fills in. That is spoofing — and it drives almost every phone scam.
With spoofing the caller sends a false number along: your bank’s, the police’s, a relative’s, or an ordinary mobile number. A technique companies have used for years (a call centre sending its main number) is abused by scammers calling from abroad.
The reverse exists too: your number is spoofed, and people call you back angrily because “you” called them. Annoying, but there is little to do beyond reporting it to your provider.
How to spot it
- 1A familiar number asking something odd.Your bank asking for a transfer, the police asking for bank details, a relative with a new tone.
- 2A foreign or unknown number that rings once.Wangiri: they want you to call back a premium number.
- 3A recording in English about “Interpol”, “DHL” or “your bank account”.Never press a key; hang up.
- 4An 085 or 088 number about “your energy contract” or “your insurance”.Unsolicited sales: you need to confirm nothing, not even your address.
- 5An unknown mobile number whose caller knows your name.Your name is on dozens of lists. That is not proof.
A real example, taken apart
- 0900-8844 is the real police number — spoofed.
- The police never call about your bank account and never ask to move money.
- The threat (“the station”) is meant to make you comply.
What you do
- Answer without saying anything, or do not answer.Unknown number? Let it go. Important? They will leave a message.
- Call back yourself via the official number.Not via “call back” on the call. Look the number up yourself: card, app, official site.
- Check the number.Paste it into the checker on this site: is it in the dossiers, what do others say about it.
- Block and report.Block the number on your phone. Report it to the Fraudehelpdesk. Premium numbers and telemarketing go to the ACM.
Never do this
- Call back an unknown foreign number.
- Confirm personal details (“is it right that you live at …?”).
- Press a key when a recording asks.
Dossiers of this kind
30 dossiers in our database match this kind — counted by what they are, not estimated. A few:
See what is being checked now →
Questions people ask
Can my provider stop spoofing?
Partly. For some years Dutch providers have blocked calls from abroad that carry a Dutch landline number. Mobile and foreign numbers can still be faked.
Why does the caller know my name and address?
From leaked databases, social media or the Chamber of Commerce. That a caller knows something about you says nothing about who they are.
Is a mobile number more trustworthy than an 085 number?
No. Both can be rented and spoofed. Look at what the caller wants, not at the number.
Paste it into the checker. Thirty seconds, and you know what others already saw.