A company selling a spoof Caller ID service is due to launch
tomorrow, according to a report by internet security firm Security
Focus. Initially targeting debt collectors and private detectives,
it offers a means of hiding the true identity of a telephone
caller.
At present, Caller ID systems allow telephone users to screen
their calls, identifying and blocking unwanted callers such as
telemarketers.
The system is not always foolproof: according to Security Focus,
certain digital telephone connections have allowed businesses to
hide their identity in the past, while voice calls over the
internet are vulnerable to hackers. But Star38.com, due to be
launched tomorrow, appears to be the first attempt to commercialise
the spoofing service.
Speaking to Security Focus, the firm's founder, Jason Jepson,
said that subscribers would be screened and the service offered
only to licensed debt collection agencies and private
investigators.
