There have been several companies that have sprung up over the past few years that promote something called “spoofing,” one of the largest being “Spoofcard” http://www.spoofcard.com/. Spoofing is the ability to hide (or make others believe that you are someone else) your digital identity from a person that you are connecting with via cell phone, SMS/MMS or even email, with the intent to play a practical joke on a person you know.
As with any service or product that was specifically designed for fun, spoofing can also be used for illegal purposes such as Criminal Harassment via cyberstalking, cyberbullying, or dating abuse. By spoofing my cell phone number, text, or email, you will not be able identify who the person is who is targeting you.
Of even greater concern is the fact that by using a spoofing product, it may allow a third party to hack into your cell phone voicemail account. Many cell phone companies allow you to phone into your voicemail without having to enter a PIN#, only if you are calling from your own cell phone. By using a spoofing service, all the hacker needs to do is enter your cell number into the spoofing program and connect with your cell phone provider’s voicemail that now digitally believes it is you, which gives them easy access to your voicemail messages. What’s the best way to protect your voicemail service? I suggest that you move to a PIN# based access, rather than the convenience of an automatic retrieval service.
Digital Food For Thought
Darren Laur
AKA #thewhitehatter