What is caller ID spoofing?
Caller ID spoofing is deliberately falsifying the information shown on a recipient's caller ID to disguise who is really calling.
What the law says
The FCC describes spoofing as a caller deliberately falsifying the information transmitted to a caller ID display to disguise their identity. The FCC says that under the Truth in Caller ID Act, FCC rules prohibit anyone from transmitting misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongly obtain anything of value. The same prohibition is written into 47 U.S.C. 227(e). The FCC says anyone who is illegally spoofing can face penalties for each violation.
Spoofing is not always illegal. The FCC gives two examples: a doctor calling from a personal mobile phone who displays the office number, and a business that displays its toll-free call-back number. Blocking your number so it shows as unknown is not spoofing.
Why it matters for sales teams
Scammers often spoof numbers that people trust, including numbers that look local, which the FCC calls neighbor spoofing. A real business can have its own number spoofed, and the FCC notes that a number labeled as spam or a potential scam may have been spoofed. The FCC requires STIR/SHAKEN caller ID authentication in part to make illegal spoofing less effective.
This is a general definition, not legal advice.