How can you call yourself? It makes no sense, but people have been receiving calls and the caller ID shows their own number. Don't answer. It's a scam.

The Better Business Bureau says, "you’re not calling yourself, no matter what the caller ID says." It's a scam called 'spoofing.' "Scammers know a lot of people won’t pick up a call from an unknown number, so they spoof the numbers of well-known companies or government agencies." They even use 'neighborhood spoofing' with the same area code showing up on caller ID to make it look like a local call.

Telemarketers are evolving. Gone are the days of 800 numbers appearing on caller ID and knowing who was calling. Now it's local area codes that look kind of familiar and your own number, making you curious and wanting to answer.

No matter what the number is, the scam is the same. The caller wants to either sell you something or get you to give up personal information. NEVER give any personal information over the phone!

BBB offers tips for managing spoofed calls:

  • Do not trust Caller ID. Your phone’s screen might display the number of a familiar and trusted person but it can be a fake.
  • Don’t answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize or from your own number. Allow these calls to go to voicemail.
  • If you received a voice message with any sort of offer, do not call them back.
  • If you answer and get a recorded message, do not press any buttons. Doing so confirms your number is good and can lead to even more annoying calls in the future.
  • Don’t provide financial or other personal information in response to an unsolicited call.
  • Trust your instincts. If something does not seem right or seems too good to be true, hang up.

Use the BBB Scam Tracker to report scams and see other scams in in the country.

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