Issue/Question
- I received a call from off-campus that appeared to be from an OSU number.
Environment
- Oregon State University
- Telephone system
Cause/Explanation
We have seen cases of outside callers "spoofing" (faking) OSU numbers when calling the OSU phone system. Often these calls are from scammers.
Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent these calls from coming into our system.
Resolution
You can tell the difference between a legitimate call from OSU's phone system and a call using a spoofed OSU number:
- A legitimate call will display the caller's name and their 5-digit extension, e.g.:
Beaver, Benny 7-1000
- A spoofed number will display the full 10 digit number without the caller's name, e.g.:
541-737-1000
If you receive a spoofed call, you can select the "ignore" or "voice mail" button, or just quickly pick up and then hang up the handset.
For assistance, contact the IS Service Desk.