Predators, Victims Exposed With Caller ID Unblocker

Using TrapCall, a new service launched Tuesday by TelTech Systems, a blocked call received by a subscriber is sent to TelTech's servers where it is "unmasked," and a message with the caller's name, phone number and address is sent back to the subscriber's phone. The caller hears a normal ring tone and is "oblivious to the fact that you know exactly who they are," the company said.

"Always know who's calling," the company's site boasts. "The way it should be, right?"

Wrong, say domestic abuse victim advocacy groups that are in an uproar about the new technology, which they say when used by abusers can expose the identities of callers who are relying on blocked caller ID to protect their identity from the very people they are hiding from.

TrapCall, however, said its technology provides abuse victims with a heads-up when their abusers call. Not only that, TrapCall can record conversations that can be used to document threats.

The service also provides voicemail transcriptions and lets subscribers read messages via SMS. There is a caveat, however: Privacy goes out the window because the transcription is done by individuals, not machines.

TrapCall subscribers should also be aware that they can be breaking the law.

The company warns that by recording a telephone conversation without informing the caller, users could be violating state laws, depending on where they or their callers live. TrapCaller advises that before recording any calls, users should check state laws to determine if they need the caller's permission to record a call. Of course, it is unlikely that victimizers would care about this.

In addition, when activating the automatic call recording feature service, callers hear a message before the call advising them that the call will be recorded, and tells them to hang up if they do not want the call to be recorded.

However, users have the ability to override the default and choose not to have the warning message played to callers. TrapCall warns subscribers not to pick that option, as failure to provide notice may leave users open to criminal liability in more than a dozen states.

While Trapcall works with any standard cell phone, subscribers have to contact their carrier to view charges or get the call forwarding service activated.

Trapcall parent company, TelTech, based in Toms River, N.J., seems to be playing both sides of the fence. The company also has a product called SpoofCard, which lets callers "maintain their anonymity" to send any phone number as their Caller ID. An additional feature includes an option to change a voice to male or female and allows users to record conversations.