COPYCENSE

"Overdue debtors beware: You may not be able to rely on Caller ID to screen out those annoying bill collectors much longer. A California entrepreneur has a plan to bring the hacker technique of Caller ID spoofing to the business world, beginning with collection agencies and private investigators.

"Slated for launch this week, Star38.com would offer subscribers a simple Web interface to a Caller ID spoofing system that lets them appear to be calling from any number they choose.

"Caller I.D. spoofing has for years been within the reach of businesses with certain types of digital connections to their local phone company, and more recently has become the plaything of hackers and pranksters exploiting permissive voice over IP systems. But Star38.com appears to be the first stab at turning Caller I.D. spoofing into a commercial venture.

Kevin Poulsen. US Website Offers Caller ID Falsification Service. SecurityFocus. Aug. 30, 2004.

Update: Ken Belson. Citing Threats, Entrepreneur to Quit Caller ID Venture. News.com. Sept. 4, 2004. (Founder, Jason Jepson, said the people who threatened him already tapped his phone calls and had obtained details about how much money he last deposited into his checking account.)