Outgoing Caller ID - changeable?

Posts: 14 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 2:46 am Post subject:

I sincerely hope they never open up things to the point that anybody can change their calling number and name any time they want. At that point I would just throw away any CID equipment, because the info becomes useless. A twist on this is a version of ACR in which a blocked or unknown caller is allowed to touchtone in a phone number, and its sent thru with "???" in front of the number to indicate the info was punched in by the caller. I'm actually glad they are making it illegal for online providers to spoof CID info in many states. I've already received more than 15 [erroneous] calls from an notorious collection company with the caller ID "000-000-0000". Of course telling them they have a wrong number doesn't stop them, and the calls would have to be traced because the CID info is useless, since you have to provide the origin of the call in the complaint (I tried). Dumb Sprint uses CID (not ANI/ANI2) for their voicemail switches with password bypass, caller to caller billing, and a number of other security holes. I bet they're not the only ones... Once in a great while FCC regulation is a good thing... Very Happy

Posts: 281 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 3:52 am Post subject:

Please explain how you think this is possible... everything I've read/heard/know indicates that when caller-A calls user-B... user-B's CLEC goes back to the RBOC and dips into the CNAM database to find the information.

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:06 am Post subject:

matth wrote:

Please explain how you think this is possible... everything I've read/heard/know indicates that when caller-A calls user-B... user-B's CLEC goes back to the RBOC and dips into the CNAM database to find the information.

mmath: For as long as I have been in telecom, your description is basically how it works.

alchemy does bring up an interesting point. I believe the collection company he is talking about owns the whole block of numbers in the exchange or they are a clec themselves and they control what info is sent to the lidb database

Posts: 281 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:24 am Post subject:

Yeah, that's my understanding too.. but as the company I work for is just getting into VoIP.. if there is something I've missed that lets me send the name (without bothering the CLEC we're going through)... I kinda was curious.... since I have that "5,000$ Avaya piece of hardware laying around" Wink

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:32 am Post subject:

matth wrote:

"5,000$ Avaya piece of hardware laying around" Wink

$5k does not buy you very much at Avaya

Smile

Posts: 281 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:37 am Post subject:

LOL.... but since you asked... I'm doing fine! (Sorry... ducks for the fruit to be thrown).

Posts: 14 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:39 am Post subject:

matth wrote:

Yeah, that's my understanding too.. but as the company I work for is just getting into VoIP.. if there is something I've missed that lets me send the name (without bothering the CLEC we're going through)... I kinda was curious.... since I have that "5,000$ Avaya piece of hardware laying around" Wink

Hey, ask MassD about that one. I dont know anything about what he says, either, as to the name part being able to be set by businesses themselves, I'm just talking about the number. The part about not wanting people to be able to change their names (or numbers) was a response to his post. I've got one of those switches (also laying around, not currently in use), too - it would be a neat trick. Smile

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 28, 2005 Posts: 18

matth wrote:

Yeah, that's my understanding too.. but as the company I work for is just getting into VoIP.. if there is something I've missed that lets me send the name (without bothering the CLEC we're going through)... I kinda was curious.... since I have that "5,000$ Avaya piece of hardware laying around" Wink

I didn't put a price on it.. (but I did say $500,000 worth of telephony contact software and equiptment).

For your average schmoe... yes, their caller ID and name is housed on some database somewhere. But many providers do offer business customers the ability to set their own values. This is usefull for call centers that may house units for multiple companies... and when a particular unit calls, then that unit provides numbers and names that lead back to thier particular buisiness, rather than the call center.

If you have the right equiptment and software, and have the right connection to your provider (ISDN), and the provider allows you to, you can configure your own caller ID and caller name to be passed along with the each call.

If Vonage wanted to allow their customers to set these kinds of things, the ability to do so is out most definatly out there.

Posts: 14 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject:

MassD wrote:

matth wrote:

Yeah, that's my understanding too.. but as the company I work for is just getting into VoIP.. if there is something I've missed that lets me send the name (without bothering the CLEC we're going through)... I kinda was curious.... since I have that "5,000$ Avaya piece of hardware laying around" Wink

I didn't put a price on it.. (but I did say $500,000 worth of telephony contact software and equipment).

For your average schmoe... yes, their caller ID and name is housed on some database somewhere. But many providers do offer business customers the ability to set their own values. This is useful for call centers that may house units for multiple companies... and when a particular unit calls, then that unit provides numbers and names that lead back to their particular business, rather than the call center.

If you have the right equipment and software, and have the right connection to your provider (ISDN), and the provider allows you to, you can configure your own caller ID and caller name to be passed along with the each call.

If Vonage wanted to allow their customers to set these kinds of things, the ability to do so is out most definitely out there.

I've only got a $5K Avaya switch, not $500K, so, I guess I'm out - too rich for my blood. Very Happy

I also have to confess I've never paid a lot of attention to ISDN - I always thought of it as kinda telephony's b*****d child.Time to do some research. Any hardware suggestions to look at, besides Avaya? I'll also poke around a couple CID spoofing sites - they were pretty close-mouthed about exactly what they could do and how they were doing it. Maybe its ISDN again? A quick Google search indicates there are about 14 "approved" lidb databases, and I'm pretty sure Cox digital (cable) telephone, among others, doesn't use any of them... The 000-000-0000 phone number always has nothing in the name field - looked like "insider trading" to me, too. Slimy business. That should clean up the loose ends.

While obviously not pleased that such things can be (and are) done, I still appreciate the info, and thank the messenger, MassD - in case any near-ranting [aka strongly felt Lol

] came out kinda harsh. Geez, Vonage, at least give us ACR, and correct CID labels
to VTs and fwd'd thru simulcall.The real SimulCall (r) worked right - I miss 'em.

edit: typos. Thanks again for the info. Asterisk is cool.

Posts: 281 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 3:40 pm Post subject:

Wanna do it real easy? Get a PRI and an asterisk system.