What Is Neighbor Spoofing?

August 28, 2017

If you’ve been getting inundated with incoming phone calls that look a lot like your own number, you’re not alone.

This year has seen a spike in the practice dubbed “neighbor spoofing” — scammers and telemarketers using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software to mimic your area code and three-number prefix to make it appear as if an incoming call is originating from near your own location. The idea, security experts say, is that you’re more likely to answer an unfamiliar number if it looks close to yours — thinking it could be coming from your doctor’s office, or your child or grandchild’s school...