VOA标准英语2012--Sneaky Phone Marketers Outfox 'Caller ID'

Sneaky Phone Marketers Outfox 'Caller ID'

 

One telephone feature that seemed revolutionary when it was introduced in the 1970s - but now is quite standard - is “Caller ID.” It’s a message that appears on your phone as it’s ringing, showing you the telephone number of the person or organization calling. Some systems display the names of callers, as well as the number.

When the phone rings and Caller ID flashes an unfamiliar¹ number, you can decide to ignore it, assuming it’s a sales pitch you really don’t want to hear. Or one of those annoying robotic messages. If the call turns out to be from someone you might very well have wanted to talk to, but you don’t recognize the number, you hope the person will leave a message so you can call back.

But sneaky telemarketers have figured out how to outfox Caller ID. As The New York Times points out in a recent article, they’ve found ways to mask their true identities. Your Caller ID may read “Humane Society” or “I.R.S.” - the initials of the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service.

Not very many people would want to ignore a call from those folks.

The telemarketers generate these phony identities by routing their calls via the Internet to another location, which has created a false identity. After the call leaves there and reaches your phone, the bogus ID displays on your screen.

A typical read-out of an incoming caller’s name on a desk phone.

Skilled scammers also create fake identities such as “F.B.I.” for pre-recorded “robo-calls,” which they spew forth² by the thousands each second.

When state regulators attempt to trace the source of deceptive³ Caller IDs, they hit an electronic labyrinth⁴ or brick wall. If the source can be found, it’s often a foreign operation outside the reach of American law.

No wonder some Americans don’t like to answer the phone these days, and others are afraid to, not knowing who’s really on the other end.

1 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

4 labyrinth   

n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路

参考例句：

• He wandered through the labyrinth of the alleyways.他在迷宫似的小巷中闲逛。
• The human mind is a labyrinth.人的心灵是一座迷宫。