WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar D-Minn., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., introduced legislation to crack down on phone scams.

 Scammers are increasingly falsifying caller ID information to hide their identities by creating the appearance a phone call or text message is coming from a familiar number such as a business, government organization, or known individual. The Phone Scam Prevention Act intends to arm consumers with a number of new tools to help fight the fraudsters and protect themselves against malicious calls.

 "Scammers are constantly cooking up new ways to deceive and defraud Americans who simply pick up their telephone expecting to talk to a friend or family member," Klobuchar said. "Our common sense bill will give people new tools to help protect themselves from these fraudsters."

Caller ID fraud is when the caller ID information is falsified to hide the identity of the scammer by creating the appearance that a phone call or text message is coming from a familiar number such as a business, government organization, or individual. Vulnerable populations such as seniors, low-income families, and immigrant communities are often victims of this crime. Those targeted are encouraged to immediately hang up and contact the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Center at 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322).

The Truth in Caller ID Act was signed into law in 2010 that prohibited falsifying caller ID numbers when done to defraud or otherwise cause harm. The Phone Scam Prevention Act would build on this law by requiring the FCC to detail where consumers can access technology to combat scams, establish a plan to develop caller ID authentication standards, and extend the prohibition on caller ID spoofing to include calls from abroad and text messaging services.

Klobuchar has introduced the bipartisan Seniors Fraud Protection Act, which would help fight scams, like fraudulent telemarketing, designed to strip seniors of their assets. Klobuchar has also called on the Department of Justice to ramp up efforts fighting mass marketing scams, including scams that are violating the protections of the Do Not Call Registry.