Caller ID Unblock Service Concern

2009-02-19 23:05:03 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - News, Technology)

A new telephone service becomes a source of alarm for some who provide assistance to battered victims.

Wired PR News.com – A new service for unblocking blocked caller information on caller IDs has become a cause for concern for some who aid in maintaining the safety of battered victims. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), the website TrapCall.com allows individuals to manipulate some telephones to display blocked information, which it states is beneficial for people who may be subjected to phone call harassment. However, some fear that the service can be a danger to abuse victims.

Victim assistance programs or shelters commonly use blocked caller IDs to prevent abusers from identifying their information, when reaching out to victims, or allowing outside phone use. Becky Moreno with the Warsaw Ind. Police department, is quoted as saying of the TrapCall.com service, “This program doesn’t distinguish between those who really need to stay anonymous and those who just do it for other reasons.”

As noted in the AP report, another service, offered by the same company behind TrapCall, SpoofCard, may be beneficial in combating the issue because it allows for the assignment of fake Caller ID information for calls.