By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Receiving calls at his long-established Riverview business, Victor Lopez said he’ll know within seconds whether it’s to inquire about construction services or to question whether his business number has been deceptively used for spoofing.
“I’ve registered as many as 30 or 40 calls like yours, and still they’re coming, an average of three or four a day,” Lopez said, in a recent interview, after confirming the telephone number for his family-owned business, Tampa Bay Construction Co., had indeed been used to spoof this reporter on her private line.
Spoofing occurs when to disguise identity, a caller deliberately falsifies information transmitted to the caller ID. According to Federal Communications Commission officials, “Scammers often use neighbor spoofing, so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you already know and trust.” Officials add that “once the call is answered, scam scripts can be used to try to steal money or valuable personal information, which, in turn, can be used for fraudulent activity.”
Lopez, a decorated Vietnam veteran, worked and built a career in construction and software design, among other pursuits, including architecture and insurance adjustment. Research and investigation are not beyond his abilities, and he set to it once he learned his business number had been spoofed.
“The telephone people and networkers say they know what’s going on and that they’ve been trying to stop it, but they can’t,” Lopez said. “They told me I could file a police report, and I called the sheriff’s office, but they can’t do anything either, as it has to do with the telecommunications system. I’ve been told I could contact a lawyer, but who would I sue?”
That the issue is both concerning and complicated is not lost on State Rep. Danny Alvarez, who after a recent legislative recap, hosted by the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce at The Regent in Riverview, was told of Lopez’ plight.
“They’re not technically doing anything to him except using his number, but they are making it difficult for him to conduct his business in peace,” Alvarez said. The scammers, he added, “are not having to tap into his lines, and they’re not calling from his phone.” Rather, “they have a program that probably is pretty simple, which says pretend you are this number,” Alvarez said, and therein lies the rub.
As for the counterattack, “we could pass a law tomorrow and the governor can sign it, but it would be the most unused law on the books because you can’t find the bad actors,” Alvarez said.
Indeed, scammers very likely include operatives overseas, in the Caribbean, in South America or somewhere else, Alvarez said, and Lopez concurs. “Being a software designer, I deal with people in Shanghai, China; Germany; British Columbia; South America; and more, and we’ve been hearing about this, too,” Lopez said. “We don’t know who is doing what.”
But that doesn’t soften the blow.
“You work so hard to build a good name and now this outside force can use your number to spoof other people,” Lopez said.
“They use your legitimacy for their illegitimacy, and to what end? Nobody knows, but it’s not good.”
Lopez said he enlisted in 1968 after he left high school early, unable to read or write. At first, the service wouldn’t have him, giving him $125 to travel back home. Undeterred, Lopez said he marched back into the recruiting office and said he needed to enlist, despite being told he would be going to active combat. “I said it was war at home and that going home was not an option,” Lopez said. He joined the U.S. Navy after passing an oral comprehension test.
Lopez said he worked hard to get to where he is today, with his wife of 45 years by his side. They married before he went to Vietnam and upon his return, Lopez said, he took college courses and earned certifications that deepened his skills and broadened his trade.
“I believe in construction,” Lopez said. “I like helping people. I love the trade. I built Hilton Hotels, nuclear power plants, nuclear generators. I got my license as an architect, became a software engineer and now I’m getting ready to get certified as an insurance adjustor.”
As for the family business, “I’ve got three children, a daughter, who is a subcontractor; my older son, who is a general contractor; and my younger son, who is going to be a certified plumber,” Lopez said. “My wife runs the office.”
Lopez said he is proud of the reputation his business has earned. What he abhors is spoofing, and his inability to tackle it in any meaningful way.
For now, the best offense is a defense, which FCC officials hope to hammer home with people who are spoofed. Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, and if you do, hang up immediately. Don’t hit a button to stop getting the calls, which could be a trick to identify potential targets. Do not respond to questions, especially those that require a “yes” or “no” answer. Never give out personal information, including passwords, maiden names, account numbers, Social Security number or other identifying information.
The list of what not to do goes on, including that if you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book or on the company’s or government agency’s website to verify the authenticity of the request. Set a password for your voicemail account and consider blocking robocalls.
With caution the key word, Lopez remains steadfast in his effort to protect his business and others with continued efforts to get to the bottom of spoofing concerns.
“You work so hard to build a good name and now outside forces can use your number to spoof other people,” Lopez said. “I feel like I’m being threatened, not physically, but mentally. It’s a breach of privacy, and I’m going to tackle this in whatever way, shape or form I can.”
For more, visit www://fcc.gov/spoofing/.