"Spoofing" occurs when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used for fraudulent activity or sold illegally. U.S. law and FCC rules prohibit most types of spoofing.
It’s difficult to screen unwanted telemarketing calls when unscrupulous companies and scam artists are using spoofing technology. It is entirely rational to confuse a neighbor spoofed spam call using your same area code for a legitimate call from your child’s school, the doctor, or another critical message that you do not want to miss. Spammers’ understand the psychology and take advantage of it.
QRG has learned that unscrupulous telemarketers have been deliberately falsifying their Caller ID information to show the Quality Resource Group (QRG) name and telephone number. These thieves have gone as far as sending U.S. citizens to our website to legitimize their services. Any call showing up on Caller ID from QRG made to a residence at any time, or to a business outside of our normal 8 am to 5 pm (CST) business hours is spam and potentially part of this spoofing scam. QRG does not engage in call-center telemarketing.
QRG offers our sincere condolences to those being targeted and is doing everything in our power to stop these calls. The illicit activity has been reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Minnesota Attorney General. QRG is a business-to-business (B2B) marketing execution services company. We do not call private individuals and never request sensitive information.
Regrettably, spoofing has become commonplace and individuals must take action to protect themselves. To help safeguard yourself from scams, the FCC offers a number of tips at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spoofing-and-caller-id. Report calls at 1-888-CALL-FCC or www.fcc.gov/complaints.
The FTC suggests call blocking options at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0548-blocking-unwanted-calls. In addition, most carriers offer options for blocking incoming spam callers. The Do Not Call Registry will block calls from legitimate companies which makes it easier for you to spot scam calls. Consider registering at https://www.donotcall.gov.