LEGISLATURE

Lawmakers: Caller ID should be real

South Florida legislators are seeking state penalties for a growing Internet phone scam.

BY LAURA FIGUEROA

lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com

Caller ID, meet your match: a growing breed of tech-savvy prank callers and scam artists known as spoofers.

Using simple Internet technology, these callers are able to change the name and number that appears on a caller ID system, resulting in all types of deception.

From law enforcement agencies responding to non-existent crimes to senior citizens turning over vital information to people they believe are bank employees, two South Florida legislators say, spoofing is becoming a threat that the state should step in to quash.

`NO LAW AGAINST IT'

Sen. Dave Aronberg, a Greenacres Democrat, and Rep. Martin Kiar, a Davie Democrat, are pushing for legislation that would make it a misdemeanor offense to use spoofing software for the purposes of deceiving or defrauding.

''It's so common it's in Wikipedia, but there's no law against it,'' Aronberg said. ``Our laws have not kept up with the fast pace of technology. We are fighting new crimes with yesteryear's laws.''

The measure targets websites that offer spoofing software for as low as $10. The sites defend the legality of spoofing so long as users don't ``defraud, harass or cause harm to anyone.''

Aronberg says the disclaimer is not enough.

''If you can use something like this to trick your boyfriend into thinking he's talking to someone else, imagine what the professional scam artists can do if they feel like there's not a law working against them,'' Aronberg said.

ELECTION INCIDENT

State lawmakers themselves have been in the middle of spoofing attempts.

In the contentious 2006 Senate race between incumbent Alex Villalobos, a Miami Republican, and GOP challenger Frank Bolaños, there were several accusations of caller ID trickery.

Confused Bolaños supporters said they received anti-Bolaños calls from one of his key allies -- former Rep. Ralph Arza. Arza's number appeared in their caller ID, though Arza said he was not behind the calls and was at an Orlando conference when the calls were made.

Most recently, House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach and Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican, were left puzzled at a House committee meeting when they kept getting calls on their cell phones, apparently from one another, though neither was dialing his phone.

''It was all a little weird ,'' Gelber said. ``It's still a mystery.''

South Florida law enforcement officials say spoofing is a relatively new concept that they haven't had to deal with. Officials with both the Miami-Dade and Broward State Attorney's Office said they have yet to prosecute any spoofing-related crimes, and the economic crimes units for the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Miami-Dade Police Department say they have yet to encounter many spoofing complaints.

''It seems like there's always some new technology to educate the public about,'' said Broward sheriff's spokeswoman Alesia Russell. ``We definitely advise the public to contact us if they suspect something is wrong.''

Aronberg's and Kiar's measure may stand a good chance this session. They have garnered unanimous support from the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.

''So many people have been taken advantage of,'' Kiar said. ``People shouldn't have to second-guess themselves when they're doing something as simple as picking up the phone.''