Abuse Using Technology

An abuser could use spoofing to trick you into picking up the phone if you would not pick up a phone call that comes from the abuser’s number. Depending on what number the abuser enters into the spoofing app, you might think you are receiving a telephone call from a family member, an advocate, your lawyer, or the courthouse. Be cautious if you receive a call that appears to come from the courthouse, for example, telling you that your court hearing date has been changed. This may be a way the abuser is tricking you into missing your court date.

Another way that an abuser can use spoofing for impersonation is by calling others with your phone number as the “caller.” The abuser may pretend to be you to cause problems with your personal or professional life. An abuser may also do this to create a false record of you calling him/her multiple times in order to report you to the police or courts for harassment. However, you can prove that you did not make the calls since they would not appear on your phone bill in your outgoing call log.

Some spoofing apps allow users to alter their voice as well so it appears to come from another gender, for example. Or it could be used to add background noise or record the call.