Sen. Reid 'spoofed' by opposition calls

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says investigators will look into a recorded message sent to Democratic lawmakers by someone using his telephone number.

Reid staffers say the messages -- opposing healthcare reform -- do not originate in the Nevada Democrat's office, The Hill reported Wednesday. Instead, the creator of the message has allegedly engaged in a practice known as "spoofing," creating a false caller ID number.

"An unidentified organization is dishonestly using Sen. Reid's office number to mislead people and to create yet another distraction from the important issues our country needs to address," said Rodell Mollineau, a spokesman for the majority leader. "American families are suffering and every day that defenders of the status quo spend on misleading and disruptive tactics like this is a wasted opportunity to be working on finding real solutions."

The calls last 30 seconds and include an anti-spending message as well.