Online fraud experts have reported that internet phone services in the US are more susceptible to caller ID spoofing than landline alternatives. A series of scams over the last few months has highlighted the lower level of security protecting Voice Over Internet Protocol. Some internet phone services allow scam artists to make it appear that they are calling from another phone number, making it possible for them to obtain private financial information and to drain credit accounts.
According to CNN.com VOIP, which has become increasingly popular in the US because of its comparative affordability, remains vulnerable to the same security problems as email. The telecommunication company AT&T also voiced fears that VOIP calls may be more easily monitored or altered. Another potential problem highlighted by Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras was that unscrupulous telemarketers will soon be using VOIP to blast consumers with a massive number of voice messages, a technique known as SPIT ("spam over internet telephony.")
While this has yet to become a major issue, caller ID fraud is a growing problem. Caller ID spoofing is not prohibited by US law, but a spokesperson for the US Federal Communications Commission said that telemarketers are required to identify themselves accurately. Currently with some VOIP services, it requires relatively little technical expertise to alter caller ID information.
Wire-transfer services in the US often require users to call from their home phone line as a means of verifying ID, a system open to fraud via VOIP; it is also possible to use this technique to fraudulently access voicemail accounts. Research is underway to devise ways of preventing such fraud but currently these vulnerabilities are still open to exploitation.