NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee woman is upset about caller ID spoofing because they've been using her late husband’s name to call her.
Ashley Merritt has dozens of spam risk phone numbers blocked.
“They tell me a lot of vulgar language that I don’t want to say, but I can block them, then I get another call, and it’s like the more I ignore them the more they call me,” Merritt said.
Recently, she said callers have taken it to the next level.
"It’s insulting, and it’s not okay," Merritt said.
On the caller ID, they've used her late husband's name, Anthony Merritt. She said it brings up a lot of emotions because the anniversary of his death is this month.
"I’m sorry… A lot of emotions because my first fear was did somebody get a phone in his name? And then after I calmed down, what if my children would have seen that?" Merritt said.
Ashley wants to raise awareness about spoofing calls. She said they've also used her deceased brother-in-law's name on the caller ID to call her.
"I mean honestly, I hope they go to bed and stub their toe," Merritt said.
Phone users can file complaints on the state and federal levels, according to the Tennessee Attorney General's Office.
Spoofing someone's actual phone number might be a misdemeanor. If the Attorney General acts, each violation can be punishable with a $10,000 fine due to state law.
"There’s got to be ways we can make them stop, even turning on scam blocker, sometimes you can’t always do that because then it blocks other people’s numbers from calling," Merritt said.
If you want to file a spoofing complaint to have the state investigate, go here:
The AG's Office also recommends for name use:
1. File a report with your local police department or sheriff’s office, or if you are a Tennessee victim, contact the Identity Crimes Unit at 615-251-5185 or visit www.tn.gov/safety [tn.gov]
2. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-ID-THEFT or visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov [reportfraud.ftc.gov]
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
