Phone call spoofing is the practice of masking the phone number you’re using to make a call. When you spoof a phone number, the call recipient’s caller ID will display a different phone number than the one from which you’re actually calling.
While businesses often look for 'spoofing' tools to increase pickup rates, the term has become synonymous with spam and fraud.
In 2026, 'spoofing' a number you don't own is the fastest way to get your calls blocked by carriers and labeled as 'Scam Likely.' If your goal is to connect with customers using local numbers, you don't need spoofing—you need Private Local Presence, Branded Calling, and NumberGuard.
How Phone Call Spoofing Works
Phone call spoofing is accomplished by connecting a phone to a spoofing application. These applications can replace the number making a call with any other phone number using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) technology.
The VoIP service converts the phone call from an analog to a digital signal. It’s then routed through the PBX, a service designed to configure internal phone lines within an organization. Tweaking PBX files allows the spoofing program to display the outgoing call under any number you want.
Phone call spoofs are regulated by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Spoofing phone numbers is illegal if performed with the intent to defraud or harm. However, the FCC doesn’t ban spoofing entirely. You can legally spoof your number if you’re not doing so to scam or harm someone.
⚠️ Note: While tweaking PBX files was common in the past, new laws (like SHAKEN/STIR) now require carriers to verify that you actually own the number you are displaying. If you try to spoof a number you don't own today, the call will likely be blocked.
Phone Spoofing Examples
There are many reasons why legitimate organizations need to display a different number, such as:
- Law enforcement: If law enforcement agencies need to contact individuals, they will often spoof the phone number from which an official calls. The number that the call appears to come from will be the agency’s non-emergency call-back line to avoid giving out the official’s dedicated business number to everyone they call.
- Journalists: Similarly, journalists often spoof their numbers to secure their private phone numbers. Instead, they’ll display a separate phone number that people can call to give tips that won’t ring through to their personal phones.
- Helplines: Helplines often rely on volunteers who use their personal phones to answer calls. To protect their volunteers’ privacy, they’ll spoof the numbers so callers can’t reach out to specific volunteers when they’re unavailable.
Despite these legitimate uses of spoofing, the practice does have some disadvantages.
- It prevents people from directly calling you back. Spoofing your number makes it that much harder for the people you call to call you back. Even if you leave your actual number in a voicemail, most people prefer to simply redial the number that called them. If your customers attempt to do that, they’ll end up calling the spoofed number instead of your real one.
- It may lead to automatically blocked calls. Since spoofing phone numbers is common among spammers, the FCC now requires all phone carriers to identify the original caller ID of a call going to consumers. This is known as the SHAKEN/STIR protocol, and some spoofed numbers fail to pass the protocol’s tests. Similarly, Android and iOS phones automatically check all incoming phone numbers against spam lists and block calls that match those numbers. If your spoofed number fails either of these tests, your calls may never make it to consumers.
- It may reduce customer trust in your business. The most critical disadvantage of spoofing is how it may impact customer opinions of your business. Many customers distrust companies that spoof phone numbers, even for legitimate reasons. The practice is so heavily tied to scammers and illegal behavior that it can damage your reputation even if you’re using it legally.
How to Display Local Numbers Without Being Flagged as "Scam Likely" or "Spam Likely
If you want to show a local number (Local Presence) for legitimate business reasons, you must avoid 'spoofing' numbers you don't own. To do this successfully, you need a system like Aloware that uses:
- Owned Numbers: You rent the actual numbers from the carrier.
- A-Attestation: The highest level of trust in the SHAKEN/STIR framework.
- Registered phone numbers: Registering a phone number connects that number to your business. Working with a phone service that operates under the FCC’s SHAKEN/STIR protocol allows you to register your number quickly and easily. Once your number is registered, carriers can identify it as coming from a genuine organization and are significantly less likely to mark it as a spoof.
- Do Not Call list blocks: Carriers and phone manufacturers are significantly more likely to identify a number as a spoof if they receive complaints about it. Complaints potentially elevate a number from automated to manual inspections, making it more likely that your spoofed number is recorded and blocked. The most likely reason people may complain about your calls is that you’re calling numbers on a state or national Do Not Call (DNC) registry. You can minimize these complaints by working with a phone service that scrubs numbers from the DNC list, so you’ll never call anyone who has requested that calls stop.
- Phone number health checks: Even with registered numbers, high-volume calling can sometimes trigger spam algorithms. Instead of guessing, use a dedicated reputation manager like Aloware NumberGuard.
NumberGuard automatically scans carrier databases and public registries to see if your numbers are being flagged as "Spam Likely" or "Scam." If a number’s health drops, you can instantly pause or replace it. This ensures your calls always appear professional and trusted—a level of protection that basic spoofing tools cannot provide.
Build Trust, Not Spam: Increase Pickup Rates by 45%
Don't risk your business reputation with illegal spoofing tactics that get you labeled as 'Scam Likely.' In today’s zero-trust world, the only way to reach more customers is to call with full compliance and transparency. Aloware replaces risky spoofing with a Trusted Calling System.
By combining Local Presence (automatically matching area codes with real numbers you own) and NumberGuard (proactive spam monitoring), our clients see up to a 45% increase in call pickup rates.
