Can someone call you and a different number show up on your caller ID?

Question

Ok I wanna be very specific here. Someone whom I know called me from out of the country. They were in London calling from a payphone. On my cell phone's caller ID the number that showed up was a "781" area code number which is regonal. Now my question is; Is it possible that they were using a calling card that outers the number or something so that it appears like the number is regional? They were NOT using a cell phone to call me. They stated that they were in a payphone in London. Is this possible or were they right in the area? THANKS!

Answer 1

It is possible to hack the caller ID system and put in a false number when calling. I really don't know the method to do this, just that it can be done. I used to watch a show called The Screen Savers and there was an ep where one of the hackers being interviewed called up Leo LaPorte (the primary host at the time) and his caller ID showed the phone number for the White House.

Answer 2

It is possible if they were using a calling card. The scenario is they called whatever access number, and the call routed through a switch located in 781 area code. Either your LD carrier or local phone company picked up the phantom number from the switch. It would make sense a suburban Boston number would show up as it is on a fibre ring that is connected to the trunk to the UK.

You can test this by calling the 781 number. If it's out of service it likely belongs to switching equipment; if you get routed to a call centre, find out where your reached. It will likely be a phone company whose network your friend used to place the call.

Answer 3

Hi,

The 1st answer here is not try you cannot "hack" the cli system, unless you were in the NOC (network operating centre). You can present a CLI that is not from the dial number on ISDN products such as ISDN30 or ISDN2e, this is primarily designed for call centres with multiple lines, but want to receive calls on one. For example, BT present an 0800 number for it's CLI regardless of where the office that called you is.

Now onto your questions, as your friend was using a calling card, the CLI on the call would have been stripped from the original call, as he will have dialled either a short code or 0800 number. The call is then routed through the card operators network (sometimes little more than a PBX). It will be here that a CLI was picked up, but this can be random digits pricked up as part of the signalling to place the call.

So is it possible or were they right in the area? - More then possible is the short answer!

Hope this helps?