Caller ID is a great service that permits you to see who is calling you on your phone so you can determine whether to answer it or just let it go to voice mail.  It also is a great service to scam artists who use it to lure people into providing personal information that can lead to identity theft by appearing to be from your bank or local court or some other trusted institution.  They then trick you into giving them personal information, such as your Social Security number that leads to identity theft.

TIP

Don’t trust caller ID.  Never give out personal information to anyone who calls you unless you are absolutely sure of their identity.  If you have any doubts, call the real institution that they claim to be at a number that you know is accurate and you can confirm whether indeed your original call was legitimate.