[asterisk-users] OT: Question on Caller ID (Spoofing calls with Asterisk)

[Kevin Larsen]

> I got a call from an overseas call center telling me about the
> problems with the Windows machine I was using. They wanted to remote
> in and fix things for me ... (Ignore the fact I use a MacBook Pro or
> an ASUS laptop with Debian).
> 
> What I found curious was the caller's name was Asterisk, and the
> caller's number was Asterisk at 10 or or Astrk at 10 similar. (I don't
> recall the exact number, but it was malformed and it had an '@' in
> it).
> 
> I'd like to read a little more about spoofing calls with Asterisk. Can
> anyone provide a reference?

There really isn't much extra to read. Like the others have said, I can 
set my caller id to be anything I want with Asterisk. Whether the 
downstream carrier will accept it is another matter entirely. I work with 
multiple carriers at my locations around the world and have found they 
usually do one of three things. 

1. Allow only the main number on the account as the outbound caller ID. I 
hate this one as I may very well want my CID to not be the main number in 
some cases.
2. Allow the CID to be any number I own through that carrier. This one is 
preferable as it allows people to have their direct dial number show up as 
their caller ID.
3. Allow the CID to be any number. This one is how you get spoofing to 
work. The carriers themselves can still tell who actually sent the call, 
but most people won't go through the hassle of tracking it down to get the 
spoofers taken care of.

Additionally, some carriers will reject an outbound call from you if your 
CID isn't set correctly, others will just silently reset it to your main 
number in the background.
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