'Phone spoofing' scammers disguise as local callers

Phone spoofing scammers use simple software to disguise their calls as local numbers. (CBC News)

Phone scammers are using software to mask their real identities by displaying a fake telephone number.

The trick is called 'phone spoofing.' It's a tool used by fraudsters to mislead people into thinking the call is from a reputable business or person. 

'They do not quit. It's about driving me to the brink of sanity,'- Mike Boychuk

Sometimes the number the scammer uses already belongs to a real person. 

Mike Boychuk, a real estate agent in Saskatoon, has been a victim of phone spoofing.

It all began last year when Boychuk started getting suspicious calls with the Saskatchewan 306 area code coming through on his work cell phone, personal cell phone and home number. When he would answer, an automated voice would inform him he had won a cruise or offer an exclusive deal on air miles.

"I'd get a call from a local —what appeared to be — cell phone," Boychuk said.

Mike Boychuk, a Saskatoon-based real estate agent, is a victim of phone spoofing. (Mikeboychuk.ca)

?Boychuk told CBC News he tried to ignore the calls, but a couple days after the calls started, regular people started calling him.

"I started getting people phoning me... they'd say 'I'm just calling you back', and I'd say 'who is this?'" Boychuk said. "I thought it was really strange because I hadn't made any calls."

After these sorts of calls persisted, Boychuk contacted his cell phone carrier, Telus Mobility.

Boychuk said Telus told him he was a victim of phone spoofing and assured him that the scammers usually used a particular number for only one or two weeks before they'd move on to another.

Chris Gerritsen, a spokesperson for Telus Mobility, told CBC News it is difficult for the company to actually help its customers who are repeatedly victims of the popular phone scam.

"It's very, very difficult to trace," Gerritsen said. "These spoofing applications are software that an individual loads onto their computer to use...it can't really be discerned which company is providing the spoofing service."

Telus Mobility said it is concerned about phone spoofing and has asked its customers to take precautionary measures against the scam.

"Don't give out your cell number to anyone other than those you trust," Gerritsen said.

However, precautionary measures won't help people like Boychuk. He said the calls still come on a regular basis.

"They do not quit ... It's about driving me to the brink of sanity because they call every number I have, my two cell phone numbers and my home number, maybe, at least twice a week," Boychuk said.

Canada's Anti Fraud Centre said victims of phone spoofing should immediately call their phone company when they realize what is happening.

"Your telephone or internet service provider may have the ability to determine the true IP address or telephone number but they must be informed quickly before this information is overwritten on their database," Canada's Anti Fraud Centre explains on its website.

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Cybersecurity expert Eric Filiol drops out of Vancouver conference

A world-renowned French expert on cyberwarfare has withdrawn from a cybersecurity conference being held in Vancouver this week.

Eric Filiol was slated to give a presentation, titled Hacking 9/11, on Friday at the 14th annual CanSecWest in downtown Vancouver. His talk allegedly detailed cyberthreats to critical public infrastructure.

On Monday, however, Filiol announced on Twitter that he was dropping out of the conference out of fear his talk could tip off would-be criminals.

CSW 20014 cancelled talk: It's a personal decision after wise/strong suggestions. Will explain later my decision. Thanks for your support

— Eric Filiol (@efiliol) March 10, 2014

But that explanation does not sit well with some.

Indiana-based security blogger Steve Ragan suggested Filiol is being censored by U.S. and French authorities who felt his hacking research was too sensitive to be made public.

"In this particular instance, you've got a talk that's talking about theoretical attacks that could take place," said Ragan. "Well, so realistic are these theories that intelligence for both France and the United States freaked out. And they advised him against presenting this talk. And, of course, because he's a member of the military himself, he used his gut judgment and did so."

Ragan said it is also possible Filiol is self-censoring, given the intense scrutiny on leakers such as former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

"Now there's an extra layer of precaution and an extra level of examination that's going to go into any type of presentation, research, publication, anything — be it right, be it wrong — that impacts security or national security or infrastructure in any form. And it's only going to get worse because the whole Snowden thing opened a can of worms," he said.

"On one hand, you had people having their eyes forcefully opened to the level of privacy violations and things going on around them," said Ragan. "But on another hand, you expose valuable data-collection assets from the government …. There will be people who won't give their talk for fear of being labelled another Snowden."

Still, conference organizer Dragos Ruiu said the censorship explanation is a bit overblown.

"I would call some of the reaction a little bit knee-jerk," he said. "It is 'Oh my god, the government's involved. Here comes the government with jackboots.' And I don't think that was the case at all here.

"I think that this is just a discussion and a review amongst the people that Eric works with, sort of a joint decision on their part, that this material might need to be studied a little bit further before shining a big spotlight on it."

The conference is being held March 12 to March 14 at the Sheraton Wall Centre.

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