DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Scammers are getting creative. It is safe to say their creativity is annoying.

Nowadays, they're able to use a random person or business phone number to make calls. It happened to one of WAND's reporters. Someone called a central Illinoisan using his number. 

Usually, 1-800 numbers are ignored. However, scammers are relying on someone to answer when a local number shows up. The method is called 'spoofing.' Spoofing is when a caller hides their identity by using another person's caller ID. 

A few months ago, the FCC reported a telemarketer made around $1 billion by spoofing. The agency said it "adopted new rules to ban malicious caller ID spoofing and text messages."

Jay Scott, former Macon County State's Attorney, used to run the elder fraud hotline. He said there is no way to make sure one's phone is spoof-free. 

"It's one of the reasons why these scam artists - they can't be traced," Scott said. "You don't know where they're calling from because they're stealing someone else's number." 

That's why Aaron McIntosh will ignore most phone calls from Urbana and Lincoln. As a small business owner, McIntosh said spoofing gets in the way of answering a potential customer. 

"On my phone I've experienced it [spoofing] probably two-three times a day," McIntosh said. 

In fact, a scammer used Tristan Hardy's cell phone to spoof McIntosh. Fortunately, he didn't answer. The small business owner described this form of scamming as frustrating. 

"I don't have time for that," he chuckled. 

Telecommunication experts said scammers will usually pick a random phone number. One should stay vigilant. If the caller is asking for personal information, bank accounts or social security, simply hang up the phone. 

The FCC said the latest spoofing scam involves "pre-approved" medications or supplies from pharmacies. Scammers are using the pandemic as a scapegoat to steal insurance information, money or both.Â