Toll Free Numbers on your Caller ID
11/24/2007
When a toll free number shows up on your caller id, it’s not there because the caller is calling you on a toll free number. Toll Free Numbers CAN’T make outbound calls. Think of them like remote call forwarded numbers that just forward callers to another local number.
When a toll free number shows up on your caller ID, it means that the caller is calling from a larger phone system that allows the caller to program the caller ID information. So do NOT take this as proof that the caller is actually connected with that number or that this number will reach the same people. It is against the regulations to program someone else’s number into the caller ID information, but that obviously doesn’t phase the people that are involved with any type of scam.
Just because they have a toll free number on their caller ID certainly doesn’t prove they’re doing anything nefarious, but it does tell you that they are probably in some type of call center and are often telemarketers. Your friends don’t have toll free numbers on their caller ID, even if they have a toll free number. So when I see an 800 number on the caller ID, I don’t give out my name or any information.
If you have a toll free number and still want to put that on the caller ID, you may need to get a large PBX phone system that allows you to program that. Some voip virtual pbx’s may allow you to program that too, but this is a hardware issue, not a service provider question.
(I saw another post about caller ID and realized I should include that answer here for everyone.)
See also WhoCalled.us for more help knowing who is calling from the caller ID and a Wiki post about Caller ID Spoofing.
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Fayaz Karim says:
September 23, 2008 at 10:33 am
Hello,
I have been to your web site for information and got a little lost although it seemed fairly easy.
I am setting up a website mrfranchiseman.com and needed an 800 number for callers
This number will be directed to my office number 949-253-4610.
However, because I am in an office suite, nobody can see my ID number and therefore I assume I cannot dial out with your long distance carrier as the machine will not recognise my number.
This is where I need help as well as choosing the best 800 number for my biz.
Bill Quimby (610 comments.) says:
September 23, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Fayaz,
It’s not really that hard. I’m working on a series to try and simplify it that may be helpful.
http://www.TollFreeNumbers.com/simplified
A toll free number is only for incoming calls. It doesn’t affect or change your outbound phone service and doesn’t change the caller ID information on the local numbers that the toll free number points to. You can still make outgoing calls but you’re making it from the local number, not the toll free number. You can’t make an outgoing call on a toll free number, because it’s not a separate physical line.
Bill
Bill Quimby (610 comments.) says:
November 13, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Toll Free Numbers in caller ID?
Toll free numbers are for incoming calls only. You can NOT make an out going call on a toll free number. The only way that toll free numbers can show up in your caller ID is if they are programmed to show there.
You and I can’t program what shows up in our caller ID. Only large companies with very large phone systems can program their caller ID. Typically a toll free number in the caller ID means Call Center or Telemarketer.
So it’s not that we have to stay away from toll free numbers, just realize that anyone that programs a toll free number into their caller ID is probably a telemarketer which you kind of figured and they are also hiding their identity.
We provide customers with toll free numbers and vanity numbers and customers sometimes ask how they can have the toll free number show up in their caller ID. I explain that unless you have a pbx phone system that allows you to program the caller ID the toll free number won’t show up, even if you’re calling from the number that the toll free number forwards to. But at the same time, it’s really not as much of a benefit to have it there as it might have been years ago. Today that tends to mean telemarketer.
I wrote this as a comment on another post by Dr. Glenn, warning children about toll free numbers that I thought was interesting. It’s a different perspective on toll free numbers than we usually have here, helping people find and get toll free numbers.
kerry (3 comments.) says:
April 26, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Bill,
Isn’t that called spoofing? Its unfortunate that callers will try to disguise their phone number under the precept of getting you to answer the phone call.
CallCatalog.com (2 comments.) says:
April 26, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’ve always thought that the best thing to do when you don’t recognize the phone number is just not answer it. Then if its truly important, the caller will leave a voicemail. The bad thing is that when they continue to call, the only thing you can do is answer and ask them to remove you from their list.
Tim Hays (1 comments.) says:
August 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm
My company has a PBX and we control the name and number publishing when making calls. We purchased the service from our carrier to communicate the name and number for caller-id. We are having issues when we publish our 877 number with our name where our name is being replaced. When we publish with the local number our company name shows up just fine. Do you know why this would happen?
Bill Quimby (610 comments.) says:
August 26, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Sorry Tim,
I really don’t know except that I would try using a different carrier and if it handles it the same way you may have eliminated the carrier. If it works differently on a different carrier then you can bring that finding to your carrier and talk to them. You can change carriers on a per call basis by using the dial around code for a different carrier if you’re not on a trunk line directly to a specific carrier. So it should be easy to test. Sorry this is a little outside of my expertise, but good luck with it.
Bill Quimby
kerry (3 comments.) says:
September 22, 2009 at 9:40 am
Interestingly enough, we’ve seen an increase of robo call complaints on our website http://www.callcatalog.com after the robo call law went into place in sept. More faked and odd caller id’s and phone numbers.