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Ask Laz: ‘Spoofing’ by telemarketers may be legal, but you can fight back

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William knows he can report telemarketers that defy the do-not-call list to the Federal Trade Commission. But what if there’s no number on the caller ID to report?

What William is asking about is the practice of “spoofing,” by which callers can hide or disguise their phone numbers.

And here’s the real poke in the eye for consumers: It’s mostly legal.

ASK LAZ: Smart answers to consumer questions

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The federal Truth in Caller ID Act makes it a crime to use a bogus phone number or caller-ID message to commit fraud or cause harm to others, such as trying to con someone into giving out a Social Security number.

But it’s not against the law to engage in what courts have called “non-harmful spoofing.” The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said examples of non-harmful spoofing include a domestic-violence victim trying to hide her whereabouts or a consumer withholding his or her call-back number from a company.

That loophole, no matter how well-intended, has been embraced by businesses as a way to “non-harmfully” get through a household’s phone defenses.

My advice? Use technology to fight technology.

Check out a free online service called Nomorobo (as in “no more robocalls”). It operates like a spam filter for your phone.

All your calls will go through Nomorobo before reaching your home. If it tags one as a robocall, it won’t get through. But legal robocalls, such as for school closures or doctor’s appointments, won’t be blocked.

Or you can try some of these methods.

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If you have a consumer question, email me at asklaz@latimes.com or contact me via Twitter @Davidlaz.

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