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How to stop number spoofing

If you’re receiving angry phone calls from people you’ve never spoken to, your number has probably been spoofed.

What can you do to stop that?

Long story short—not much. 

However, there are steps you can take to minimize the negative impact.

And we’re about to show you how.

One more thing—spoofing cuts both ways.

Scammers can fake your number to call other people. They can also fake a number you trust to call you.

We’ll cover both.

Let’s dive in.

Updated on: 30 September, 2026

What can I do if my phone number is being spoofed?

Scammers can hijack your cell phone number to scam-call people in your area.

It doesn’t mean they have access to your phone—spoofing is more like impersonating your caller ID.

Your SIM card is fine, and so is your account.

Scammers don’t need either one. They use cheap web-based calling tools to paste your number onto their outgoing caller ID, without ever touching your phone.

So, why can’t we stop number spoofing?

In brief, we don’t have the tools.

The mobile network in use today is much less advanced than you might think.

Much of the infrastructure was designed at a time when security wasn’t a top priority.

Today, scammers are exploiting those security gaps—and spoofing is just one of their methods.

However, there is a ray of hope.

You can effectively mitigate the negative consequences of number spoofing.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Wait for the scammers to stop spoofing your number

Just wait.

Although it doesn’t seem like a valid solution, waiting may actually be your best option.

Here’s why—

According to the Federal Communications Commission, phone spoofing typically lasts only a few hours before scammers move on to another number.

Afterward, the issue will likely blow over.

The callbacks lag behind, though. Expect them to trickle in for a day or so after the scammers have already moved on.

In the meantime, however, you might get some unwanted calls or texts in response—see points 2 and 3, below, for how to handle this.

2. Record a new voicemail message explaining your number is spoofed

Spoofing often leads to receiving unwanted calls from people who were tricked into thinking you called them first.

You could answer these calls and explain the situation—but that’s not recommended and may be a headache.

Alternatively, you can ignore them—but be aware that some individuals might continue to call back or could report your number as a scam.

Instead—

Consider setting up a specific voicemail, letting callers know your number has been spoofed.

This approach informs callers of the situation without you having to answer.

Below is a simple script you can use:

However, that won’t manage the fallout entirely—you’ll still see and hear all the incoming calls.

And when the angry ones call back?

Don’t engage. Explaining yourself to every caller won’t make the scammers drop your number any faster—it’ll just cost you an afternoon.

3. Silence or block unknown numbers

Scammers can contact hundreds of people using your phone number.

And when they call you back, it can become quite the inconvenience.

Here’s what you can do—

After recording a new voicemail, consider turning on the feature of “silencing” or “blocking” unknown numbers while your phone number is being spoofed.

That way, you won’t even be aware of attempted calls.

The steps differ a little by device. Here’s how to do it on iPhone and on Android.

However, turning these settings on will silence all calls from unknown numbers, including those from legitimate callers.

This might not always be ideal.

Remember to turn off this feature after the spoofing ends (give it a day or two)—especially if you regularly take calls from people who aren’t on your contacts list.

4. Check your accounts for identity theft

Most spoofed calls are just spam calls made using your number.

It may be a pain in the neck but is typically harmless in the long term.

Yet, some scammers may use your number to steal your identity—and that is far from harmless.

It’s wise to verify, then.

Review your Social Security number, bank and credit accounts, check your email inbox for any unusual activity, inspect your bills, and similar.

We’ve put together a guide on how to check if someone is using your Social Security number. You can find more information on identity theft prevention methods there.

What are you looking for?

Accounts you don’t recognize, bills for services you never signed up for, or a tax notice about income you never earned.

If any of those turn up, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three big credit bureaus. Both are free.

Then report it at IdentityTheft.gov—the FTC’s official site, which walks you through a recovery plan step by step.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

5. Take action to stop phone number spoofing in the future

Let’s begin with a bitter pill to swallow.

No number is immune to caller ID spoofing. You’re just as vulnerable as luxurious brands or even governmental institutions are.

There’s no app or service to block someone from spoofing your number.

However, you’re not completely powerless.

For the spoofing to happen, scammers need to acquire your number first.

Some generate the numbers randomly, but others collect them from the internet or data brokers.

And you can effectively combat those.

Incogni sends the removal requests to 420+ such brokers for you—over and over, so your number doesn’t creep back onto the lists.

That covers your number being used against other people.

But spoofing works the other way round too—

How to filter incoming spoofed numbers

Scammers don’t only fake your number.

They also fake numbers you’re likely to trust—your bank, a government agency, a local business.

Carriers have a system for catching that. It’s called STIR/SHAKEN, and the FCC requires them to use it.

Here’s how it works—

When a call leaves one carrier’s network, that carrier attaches a digital signature to it. The signature says how confident it is that the number really belongs to the caller.

The carrier on the receiving end checks that signature before the call reaches you.

Calls that can’t be vouched for are the ones most likely to land on your screen labeled “spam risk” or “scam likely.”

It’s not airtight. Plenty of spoofed calls still get through—but it’s the reason some of them arrive pre-flagged.

There’s nothing for you to switch on. It all happens on the carrier’s side, before your phone rings.

What you can control is what your phone does with a flagged call. Here’s how to block spam calls on iPhone and on Android.

Want to know what each carrier’s warning label means? We’ve broken those down in our guide to potential spam calls.

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