0000000000 or 1000000000: Who Calls You?

Here’s who is calling you when 0000000000 or 1000000000 calls your phone:

No one who appears to be calling from 0000000000 or 1000000000 actually has those numbers assigned to them.

Therefore, they are guilty of this spoofing tactic.

Spoofing is when someone or something takes on another identity that does not belong to them—and in this way commits identity fraud. 

So if you want to learn all about who is truly calling you from 0000000000 or 1000000000, you’ve come to the right place.

Let’s jump right in!

Who Is Calling When 0000000000 or 1000000000 Calls You?

Who Calls from 0000000000 or 1000000000?

Receiving a call from a number that is all zeros can be extremely disconcerting and weird. 

Clearly, the individual or business on the other end of the line doesn’t want you to know who they are, but what could they possibly have to hide to this extent? 

While we cannot give you a definitive answer in each instance of exactly who is calling you, we can shed some light on how these callers are able to mask their identity—and offer up some ideas as to why they might be doing this.

Did you know that this tactic has a name?

Let’s start by defining “identity spoofing.”

What is identity spoofing?

Identity spoofing is when someone or something takes on another identity that does not belong to them—and in this way commits identity fraud. 

No one who appears to be calling from 0000000000 or 1000000000 actually has that number assigned to them, and therefore they are guilty of this spoofing tactic.

Spoofing really started to take off years ago when systems like caller ID became more accessible to the average consumer. 

Scammers needed a way to bypass the transparency facilitated by this new household technology.

As a result, they began to devise ways of assuming identities that did not belong to them.

What Are the Different Types of Identity Spoofing? (4 Types)

Hacker using smartphone inside a dark room.

Calls from a 0000000000 or 1000000000 number are just one form of spoofing.

There are several varieties of identity spoofing, including:

#1 ARP, MAC, or IP Spoofing 

Each of these is very different, but at their core, they all involve scammers taking on the identity of computers that are not their own by using network addresses that don’t belong to their computers. 

You may not know this, but every machine on a network has a unique name or address by which it is identified.

Savvy scammers can fake their address, like the tech version of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

#2 Geolocation Spoofing

This occurs when scammers mask their location, making themselves look local to you when they could be found anywhere in the world. 

Again, this is achieved by taking advantage of network settings and gaming the system.

#3 Website Spoofing

Are you thoroughly creeped out yet? In this case, fraudsters build a site that looks just like a real one. 

The difference is that any information you input goes to the fraudsters’ network, not the real one. 

In this way, they can collect your personal data without your consent and use it as they please (this is known as “phishing”).

#4 Email Spoofing 

There can be subtle ways to catch this form of fraud, but it is also extremely easy to miss. 

You may be able to guess where we’ll go with this one: in email spoofing, fraudsters look like they’re emailing from another, legitimate account—but, of course, they’re not. 

The content of their message may solicit personal or confidential information that they can then take advantage of.

When scammers call from a number like 0000000000 or 1000000000, they are conducting the phone version of this sort of spoofing.

These scammers assume a number, not their own, intending to mask their identity.

Why are they doing this?

Why Do People Leverage Phone Identity Spoofing? (2 Reasons)

People use phone identity spoofing for several reasons:

#1 Unknown International Caller

Some sources cite the most common reason for these spoof calls: the caller is from another country and wants to hide that fact. In order to do so, they choose to hide their number with one that is primarily comprised of zeroes. 

After all, if you are not expecting a phone call from an international number, you are even less likely to pick up the phone than from an unknown domestic number.

#2 Private or Restricted Number

According to several phone forums, there is another possible explanation for receiving a phone call from a number that is all zeroes. 

If the number is a private or restricted number, it might show up as all zeroes on your phone’s caller ID. This might be sugarcoating the same core issue, though, which is that the person making the phone call does not want you to know what their phone number is.

This is odd behavior. Every legitimate individual or business has a phone number. In fact, every legitimate entity likely wants you to have their number because it opens the door for future follow-ups.

So, if you have received a phone call from a 0000000000 or 1000000000 number, how worried should you be?

Good News: You Most Likely Weren’t Hacked

Stressed woman thinking while talking on her cellphone.

According to most experts, your phone could not be hacked via phone call.

Now, if the call ran long enough—generally on the scale of a few minutes or more—then there is a chance that the caller could possibly triangulate where you live. 

However, there isn’t a ton that they can actually do with this information.

Not to mention, a lot of information about addresses and names is already public information available online, making this a lot of extra work for information that isn’t very valuable.

Also worth noting is that simply opening a text message likely will not compromise anything.

So what is dangerous?

Visiting websites can be risky because it can lead to the automatic download of software, which can then do anything from mine your phone for personal details through even tracking what you input to your phone—which means hackers can capture any personal details you input.

However, this is an entirely separate discussion.

Returning back to the phone calls: although they are annoying, these phone calls pose little actual threat.

Fortunately, most phones and carriers these days let you mark callers as spam and block specific numbers so that you can stop being pestered.

Sometimes, these numbers are simply robots calling to see if your number is “live,” and therefore, could be a viable number to sell down the road.

Therefore, the best thing you can do is to avoid picking up the phone from anyone you don’t recognize.

If it’s really that important, they will likely leave a message.

Author

  • Theresa McDonough

    Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.