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Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:43:14 +0100 (CET)
Subject: Re: [OS2Wireless] How secure is POTS?
To: "OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
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It is very easy to "spoof" the outgoing caller ID - most PBXes can have
this configured to be something other than the "physical" line number (for
example, showing a centralised free call number, rather than the actual
number of the particular office), for instance.  Private callers rarely do
this, but it is not impossible - I imagine one can buy a box that does it.
 The phone company actually has very little to do with it.

Thomas


On Sun, November 15, 2009 2:34 pm, Thomas Dennis wrote:
> Hi All:
> A friend called me three times yesterday using POTS at their end and my
> handy # at my end.
> My handy recorded the number that was sent over the telephone line and
> placed this number in my "missed calls" box.
> This friend (Helen) lives in another city with a different area code.
> Calling the number, which is a POTS number that has the same area code
> as mine, I get Alan (another friend who lives near me).
> He claims he doesn't know Helen and that the call didn't originate from
> his phone.
> I have no entry for Alan in my handy data base.
>
> Helen's area code is 02243.
> My area code and the area code of Alan is 02241.
>
> I tried calling the number shown in my handy's "missed calls" box
> using Helen's area code thinking that the "3" in 02243 was somehow
> changed to a "1" but that went nowhere.  The party that answered
> was not Helen and they didn't know any Helen.
> How Is this possible?  Is there some 'hanky panky' going on here?
> Since this is my first experience with such a conundrum, warning bells
> went off in my head and I thought it best to ask others about my
> experience and what they thought I should do.
> Of course the Telephone Co. swears that their system is "idiot proof".
> Has anything like this ever happened in the US?
> My POTS connection is over DSL and a splitter/router so it is a bit
> off the subject of this group.
> So if there objections, I will pack up my tent and go home.
>
> Thomas
>
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