Caller ID

Caller ID shows a number or name when someone calls you. It is a helpful clue but can be wrong or faked, so never treat it as proof.

Caller ID: Caller ID is the number or name displayed on your phone when it rings. It may come from the network, a saved contact or a caller-name app. It helps you decide whether to answer, but it can be wrong, outdated or faked by the caller.

Phones show a name if the number is saved in your contacts. Caller-name apps may show crowd-sourced labels such as "spam" or a business name. These labels are only guesses based on what other users submitted. A genuine number can be mislabelled, and a new scam number may have no label at all. It is easy to over-trust such labels, especially when they appear to confirm what you already feared.

Use caller ID as a first clue only. Be careful with apps that ask for your contacts, call logs and other permissions just to show names, because you may be giving away more than you get. Review which apps have access to your contacts and phone, and remove those you do not need. Never trust a call because the label looks official.

Tips

• Treat a label as a hint, not proof, either way.
• Check which apps can read your contacts and call log, and remove the ones you do not need.
• Do not give details to a caller just because the name looks official.

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