The following article from the Phila Inqr describes some outrageous stuff pulled by telemarketers in violation of multiple laws and how people fought back. This includes spoofing the caller ID.
See:
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Would anyone know if Call Trace (1157) works when a telemarketer calls? That is, does Call Trace send the real ANI or the caller-ID to the Call Trace Bureau.
Unfortunately, the Call Trace Bureau appears to only respond to repeated threatening calls, not mere sales calls and now has a high fee per use. They seem to really discourage people from using it. I think that's wrong--IMHO this usage should be encouraged and the Bureau should be staffed with enough investigators to deal with violators.
One problem with telemarketers is that the govt only goes after the most outrageous violators (per above), and smaller crooks get away with it.
Dialing the number would not help, since it was either a spoof CID or the equipment does not allow you to reach a real person.
I got 6 calls on my cell phone in 5 days, the number was real and I was able to find out who supplied the dial tone. It was listed as Level 3, but they only supplied the backbone, it really was XO Communications. Having done some work for them over the years I had numbers to call. They were aware of the problem and in the process of cutting them off.
I also called the Nassau County Police in New York and made a complaint with them since the number was ported from there. At least I had no calls today, yesterday when they called I hit the 1 on the phone and when the person answered I gave them a very high blast of Milliwatt.
Level 3 is a carrier that leases trunking to other carriers and large companies. They have centers located in major cites in the US and overseas.
It is not a back door, they are this company's CLEC, or at least were.
I don't think they will get back to me: one, I'm in California and at first [Level 3] wanted me to contact local law enforcement, but when I made them understand the problems and gave them the data I had found they took the report. My understanding is that the FTC has taken both civil and criminal action, but one of the owners of these companies is saying he does not care and plans to continue; I guess he may have to run his business from jail. Maybe he can be considered a threat to the National security and be sent to Cuba.
Several states have also taken action. I was watching CNN tonight and noticed that one of the companies named was advertising there; maybe someone should let CNN know that are allowing airtime [to] a criminal.
I believe Call Trace just capture CPIN. And, if I recall correctly it works only within the LATA.
Yep. They never intended it to go after telemarketers. In California, the Call Trace folks won't even deal with you unless you first file a complaint with your local cops.
Unfortunately, ANI doesn't make it to your switch.
In my area, they'll capture the data, but the telephone subscriber must file a police report before they'll release it.
Yeah. Once upon a time, the Annoyance Call Bureau would go after companies that set up fax machines to keep retrying your number... which they had entered incorrectly.
For the hell of it, I read the Wikipedia entry on ANI.
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Wikipedia entries often drive me nuts due to their lack of citations, or citations to secondary sources that themselves cite no primary sources.
Take this quote, for instance:
Privacy
Because ANI is unrelated to caller ID, the caller's telephone number and line type are captured by ANI equipment even if caller ID blocking is activated. The destination telephone company switching office can relay the originating telephone number to ANI delivery services subscribers. Toll-free Inward WATS number subscribers and large companies normally have access to ANI information, either instantly via installed equipment, or from a monthly billing statement. Residential subscribers can obtain access to ANI information through third party companies that charge for the service.
On my home number, I can subscribe to a third-party service that will provide me ANI instantly? I had no idea. Due to there being no source provided, I still don't.
Uh, well they don't say instantly for residential. I have an 800 number that I got when my kids were in college. It directs calls to whatever local phone number I choose. My monthly bill tells me the phone numbers that have called my 800 number. I got my 800 service from Broadwing (now Level 3), but I would assume other providers offer the same service.
I suppose like anything else, enough money thrown at some phone company or another would yield real time ANI at your home. ;-)
Wikipedia is good for general background information, but it is not an authoritative source. Many people have reported finding material errors of fact in it, (as I did).
I think it's good source for entertainment information.
Well, an 800 number gets your ANI and I presume that company could then forward it back to you. Why you would need this more than one time (as in checking a line) I don't know.
Years ago when I still had my BBS online; I had an 800 number for network calls since I was the server for our net. I had a friend build me a receiver that allowed me to see the incoming number. I still have it now, but when I hooked it on my phone line it does not work, I did this to be able to see blocked numbers. I have been told by at&t the ANI is not passed onto the subscriber, having worked in the industry since 1967 I don't understand how that could be blocked.
Uhm. [It] may, or may not. [The answer is] the proverbial "it depends", on a _lot_ of things.
As I recall, real-time ANI is part of 'Feature Group D', that can be provisioned on hi-cap customer tail circuits.
***** Moderator's Note *****
I'd like to take a trip down memory lane: someone please explain what feature groups A, B, and C are, how they were used, and whether any of them (including feature group D) are still in use.
A toll-free number isn't residential phone service, not the way it's ever been defined in tariff or any other industry document.
Yes, it can certainly point to a residential phone number.
Receiving a print out of the ANI log is a feature of the bill for 800 service. It's the raw data for the bill!
You received the ANI call log on your bill for 800 service. You didn't obtain access to it through a third party company. It's not possible to interpret that sentence in the Wikipedia entry as factual.
The only remote number signalling on tail-circuit POTS lines, regardless of whether they are residential or business, is the protocol used for CLID.
With the right C.O. equipment, it is possible to capture the ANI data in the call set-up and pass *THAT* information via the CLID signalling to the end-user.
Typical real-time ANI (which presumes a multi-line incoming set-up) comes over the D channel of a PRI, or a dedicated data circuit. Similar to, but not identical to, the way SMDR data is output by a switch.
Some _facilities-based_ third-party dial-tone providers offer the option of real-time ANI delivered as CLID. You can't buy it separately, still getting dial-tone from your current preferred carrier.
I've got no vendor names at this time, but it _is_ available.
Other providers _do_ offer real-time ANI for multi-line systems, delivered over a separate channel -- possibly the D channel of a PRI, possibly a dedicated data circuit.
Too bad Mark Cuccia hasn't posted in a while; he'd know this by heart.
FgA: Caller would dial a 7-digit number. (In the '80's, at the office, the long distance carrier, perhaps Sprint, called it InfoSwitch.) He'd then have to dial the 10-digit number and an account number, don't recall what the order was.
I found a note that the dial-up circuit was a two-wire connection.
FgB: Caller would dial 950-XXXX. The long distance carrier had a four digit FgB code beginning with 0 or 1. The caller would then dial the 10 digit telephone number and account number. I really liked this service, so many fewer digits to dial than calling cards, but a lot of switches didn't implement it and pay phones often accidentally mishandled these calls. 950 was chosen because it didn't spell anything and tended not to be assigned as a prefix. It's not a 7-digit telephone number but a routing code.
Abstract below notes that the Carrier Identification Code need no longer begin with 0 or 1.
I found a note that the dial-up circuit was a four-wire connection, the other two wires would signal ANI. I vaguely recall that when I used it with my long distance carrier from home, I wouldn't dial an account number, but when I used it elsewhere to bill the call to myself, I would.
FgC: No clue, something to do with signalling on network-controlled pay phones deployed by AT&T.
FgD: Equal Access trunk line. Caller would dial 10XXX + 10 digit number, no account number. With an explosion of such services, the code was changed to 101-XXXX and existing codes had a 0 prepended, hence all the
1010-XXX advertising.
Note that the 4-digit Carrier Identification Codes were once assigned in common between FgB and FgD, but the abstract below notes that it's no longer the case.
Feature Group A LSSGR: Feature Group A, FSD 20-24-0200 Document Number GR-697
Feature Group provides to the patron (service purchaser) line-side termination and a 7-digit access code (the directory number of the access line) at the Feature Group A (FGA) Serving Office (FGASO). FGA consists of line-terminated access circuits that will include, but are not limited to, arrangements used to provide interLATA (Local Access and Transport Area) Foreign Exchange (FX) service, Exchange Network for InterLATA Access (ENFIA) A-type service, and interLATA off-network access lines from private networks. This Generic Requirements document (GR) describes the view of Telcordia on generic requirements for Feature Group A.
Feature Group B LSSGR: Feature Group B, FSD 20-24-0300 Document Number GR-698
Feature Group B (FGB) access is being expanded to provide a uniform
950-XXXX code to reach carriers that have trunk-side interconnection to Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) switches. This Generic Requirements document (GR) modifies the format of the access code (formerly 950-WXXX, where W = 0 or 1) and provides for a transition to the expanded format. Affected switching systems must be updated to handle FGB 950-XXXX calls as described in this document. In addition, the prior linkage between FGB and Feature Group D (FGD) code assignments is being discontinued as this change is introduced. This document also provides a modified view of the status of the 'transitional' capability whereby calls bearing selected 950-WXXX addresses can be served over a Feature Group D interface, and adds minor footnotes regarding '950' dialing procedures for customers associated with step-by-step switches.
I didn't spot similarly helpful abstracts for FgC or FgD.
Here's an excerpt from a textbook explanation of FgD, mentioning that ANI may be received at the called party's switch!
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This document mentions Feature Group E, without explantion.
So, it's often the case that ANI makes it to the switch serving the called party? I stand corrected, then.
***** Moderator's Note *****
You don't need to correct yourself: as others have pointed out, ANI info per se is NOT a substitute for CLID data, since the ANI might or might not match the CLID (as for forwarded calls), so it's not a reliable substiture for CLID.
WATS subscribers get ANI info because SS7 wasn't in service when WATS was introduced, so CLID data wasn't available either.
HTH.
Bill Horne Temporary Moderator
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"Adam H. Kerman" wrote in news:gvlg6n$88d$ snipped-for-privacy@news.albasani.net:
InfoSwitch was a long-distance calling and billing system from Datapoint. We used it on campus from the mid-1970s through 1985 to avoid using our CENTREX system for outgoing calls, using mostly WATS and FX lines. It enabled us to bill directly to each individual user (rather than by station) which policy is still in place. Some of our older customers were still calling the authorization code the "Infoswitch number" as recently as a few years ago!
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