WASHINGTON — At first, Maryland Del. Kathy Afzali, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, said she was fooled by the phone numbers showing up on her caller ID and her cellphone.
They had a local area code and exchange, so she figured it had to be someone she knew calling her. But, it quickly became clear, Afzali said: These were telemarketers and they were engaged in “caller ID spoofing.”
“I didn’t even know it had a term,” she said, but since she learned more about it, she became determined to stop it. “What ends up happening is you stop picking up your phone,” she said, describing her own experience as being “bombarded” by nuisance calls.
Afzali is submitting House Bill 1090, which would make the practice illegal in Maryland. Under federal law, Afzali said “spoofing” is only illegal if it is used in the course of trying to defraud a call recipient.
“What I want to say in the state of Maryland is that it should be illegal — period. You should not be able to masquerade as someone familiar or safe to someone on the other end,” Afzali said.
Since drafting the bill, she said she’s heard from at least 10 lawmakers who want to join her in sponsoring the bill. “This is one of those bills that everyone can get behind,” Afzali added. “It is nonpartisan — there is nobody who likes those people calling them at their homes.”
