Scammers can make any number appear on your phone, including your bank's real phone number. Here is how caller ID spoofing works and what actually protects you.
Caller ID was never designed to be a security system. It was designed to tell you who was calling so you could decide whether to pick up. The fact that it shows a name and number says nothing about whether the person calling is actually that entity.
When your phone rings, it displays information sent by the caller's telephone carrier. In the original telephone network, there was no authentication — the caller's system simply declared what number it was calling from, and that declaration was passed along to you.
Scammers use voice-over-IP (VoIP) services that allow them to set any outgoing caller ID number they choose. This costs almost nothing and requires no technical sophistication. A scammer operating from overseas can make your phone show "Chase Bank Fraud Department" with your bank's actual published phone number.
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