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The question How to protect from caller-id spoofing? focuses on how to protect oneself from incoming calls with spoofed caller ID information.

This question is about how to protect oneself when someone is using your number in spoofed caller ID to place calls to others (e.g. to check if a target number is still "live"). A certain subset of those called get angry, call back demanding to be taken off the call list, file complaints, get the number on blacklists that prevent legitimate use, etc.; the spoofer is hurting both the called party and the party whose number is being used. What can the latter party do to protect themselves from these consequences?

WBT
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    I suspect -- but don't know, hence not answering -- that this is impossible. The method they use to spoof doesn't ask you first for permission; they just claim to be calling from a different phone number than they really are. It's yet another reason we badly need to revamp our phone system to prevent phone number spoofing entirely. – Nic Jun 28 '19 at 18:25
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    @NicHartley Is there at least a good way to defend oneself against the angry responses, complaints, and number blacklisting? – WBT Jun 28 '19 at 18:41
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    Not really. You can explain that you _didn't_ call them, that your number was spoofed by the actual callers, but if they don't already know about spoofing, there's a decent chance they'll just assume you're lying. And of course if someone blocks your number, you have no say over that; you can only hope that you never legitimately need to call any of those people. – Nic Jun 28 '19 at 18:44
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    @NicHartley And, if they are part of a shared blocking system where numbers they report are blocked by everybody who uses that shared system, hope that there's never a need to legitimately call anybody who uses that shared blacklist. – WBT Jun 28 '19 at 19:00

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