Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) voted in favor of passing the Senate version of his Truth in Caller ID bill.  Rep. Engel’s bipartisan legislation to stop the use of fake Caller IDs, something often used by criminals to trick unsuspecting victims, the Truth in Caller ID Act, passed the full House today and will be sent to President Obama for his signature.  The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), is virtually identical to Rep. Engel’s House bill.  To view Rep. Engel’s remarks on the House floor - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx87rWjULYE

‘Spoofing’  is the term describing technology to falsify the name and phone number appearing on Caller ID.  For example, a spoofer’s call can show the call to be from a bank to persuade a person to give their Social Security and/or credit card numbers or other personal information. This information is then used to fraudulently obtain credit cards or withdraw money from a person’s bank account.

The main difference between Rep. Engel’s legislation and the Senate version heading to the President is both bills exempt legitimate uses of the technology, such as domestic violence shelters. However, the House bill cracks down on people who use the technology to “defraud or deceive,” whereas the Senate bill is “to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.”   In addition, the Senate bill lays out specific penalties for breaking these rules, whereas the House bill left it up to the Federal Communications Commission to define their own penalties.

“I want to thank Senator Nelson for working side-by-side with me on this legislation to get it passed and sent to the President.  I also want to thank Rep. Joe Barton who was my Republican co-sponsor on the House bill.  This is a perfect example of how both parties and both Houses of Congress can work together in order to benefit the American people.  I hope we can continue to do so in the next Congress,” added Rep. Engel.

Rep. Engel, a senior member of the House Energy & Commerce committee, called identity theft a growing problem across the United States. “I am very pleased that this example of the unscrupulous misusing technology to scam the unsuspecting is likely to become law this week.  Thousands of people have been victimized, losing millions of dollars and virtually destroying the finances of hard-working Americans.  The scariest part is this weapon is available to anybody with a web browser.”

To ‘spoof’, a person need only to log onto a website, put in his or her phone number, the number they are calling, and the number they want to appear on the Caller ID. The website calls back – connects to the person they are calling and masks their true identity. Even the sound of his or her voice can be altered.  Rep. Engel reminds everyone to not provide personal information over the phone.

Rep. Engel added, “If spoofers are able to get your information and do the cyber equivalent of ransacking your house, it can literally take years to correct the damage.  Even worse, such technology can be used by stalkers and potentially violent criminals as well.  The legislation is long overdue and I am very pleased to see it finally reach the final step towards passage.” 

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