To all the honest citizens out there, there's something you need to know about your Caller-ID service. You can't always trust it anymore. I clearly remember when Caller-ID first became available. I also remember thinking this was a great idea in that I could now see who was calling before I picked up the phone. At first, it was available only in limited areas. Now supposedly it's available throughout the country but it's still not perfect and I really don't think it ever will be. Still, it's a lot better than having to screen calls via an answering machine.

Since its inception, Caller-ID has added many improvements such as Call Waiting Caller-ID that let's you see who's calling when you're already on the phone, as well as using it to block both specific and anonymous calls.

But it's not all one sided. Someone placing a call has an option to block Caller-ID using the *67 prefix. Calls made that way display the word "Private Call" or something similar on the recipient's Caller-ID display.

However, the recipient has the option to activate something called "Anonymous Call Rejection." When that's activated, anyone trying to use the

*67 prefix will hear a message saying something to the effect that the person they are trying to reach is not accepting calls that are blocked.

And so the great Caller-ID battle came to an end with all of these nice checks and balances in place. Until now.

The technical term for it is called "Caller-ID Spoofing" but it was only available to law enforcement agencies, private detectives and the geeks who knew how to do it. But now with the help of the Internet and some website services, you can do it too. Basically Caller-ID Spoofing is a way to trick the Caller-ID display into showing a number that's different than the one from which you are actually calling. So why would you actually want to do that? Take your pick from literally a zillion of them. As with any tool, you will find both good as well as bad uses for it. But my mission here is not to get bogged down in an ethical debate about its use, only to alert you to its availability. Whether or not you decide to use it, at least I've alerted you to its existence. Now you know to take what you see on your Caller-ID's display with a grain of salt.

There are several of these Caller-ID Spoofing website services out there but let me tell you about the one I found that goes the extra mile. In addition to Caller-ID Spoofing, it has some additional abilities that can enhance the Spoofing experience. You begin by calling their toll-free number and dial in your pin code. After asking you for the number to call, it asks you to key in the number you wish to be displayed on their Caller-ID box. Whatever number you select, the state and city name that corresponds to the area code and prefix of the number you entered will be displayed on the name portion of the Caller-ID display.

The next option lets you choose to disguise your voice. You can select either male or female, with the male voice having a slightly better quality.

You're not going to fool anyone with these voices as both of them sound electronically processed. They're going to know it's not a real person's voice. Still, either of them will effectively disguise your voice from it's actual tonality.

The other option you can choose before the call is placed is to record the conversation. If you choose this option, both sides of the conversation will be recorded. After completion, you logon to the website and there waiting for you will be a downloadable wave file that contains the conversation you just had. In fact, it keeps a complete log history of all the calls you made along with the date, time, duration and associated wave files if you requested for the conversation to be recorded. The log also shows whether you placed the call with a disguised male or female voice via a little male or female icon.

As to the legality of all this, the website will not allow their service to be used placing 911 calls and will not dial toll free numbers. According to them, Federal Regulations prohibit the use of their technology by telemarketers or debt collectors to hide or falsify their telephone number.

However, there's nothing there that talks about its use by private citizens.

Payment works pretty much like any normal calling card service. The cost of their service can be purchased in $10 increments. After creating an account online, you pay by credit card. Before each call, a synthetic voice tells you how many minutes you have remaining. As your minutes decrement, you just log back on and purchase more.

So there you have it. In this world of growing Identity Theft and the loss of privacy, another tool that helps you to see who's knocking at your virtual door bites the dust. I'm not saying to throw away your Caller-ID box as it's still a useful product. Just know that from now on, the Caller-ID number you see may not be the number that's actually calling. I can guarantee the bad guys already know all about this. Now at least, you do too.