How to Find Out an Unknown Caller’s Number: 5 Methods
Katherine Young
Typically, you can see the caller ID number or name of the person calling when receiving a phone call. This information gives you a moment to prepare for the conversation. However, sometimes, you may see “Unknown Number” come across the screen, and you aren’t sure how to react.
Find the Identity of Unknown Caller
While you may often find that it’s a telemarketer, other times, the caller may hang up as you answer. Deciphering who the caller was becomes even more important in that situation. Other situations where you may want to find an unknown caller may be to monitor your kid’s phone or find out if your partner is cheating.
In this article, I will explain how to find out the owner of an unknown phone number for these specific circumstances.
Spokeo is a robust platform that allows users to find people using their phone numbers and names. This platform pulls information from multiple sources, meaning you could find everything from phone numbers to educational backgrounds.
Method 1: Use a 3rd-Party App to Trace Unknown Numbers Calling
To find out the unknown caller’s details, I tested over 20 best tools and shortlisted the most reliable for this method. I have mentioned their features and pros and cons so that you can make a decision based on your requirements.
1) Spokeo
According to my review, Spokeo is a reverse phone lookup app that lets you look up any person’s information through public access sites. The platform pulls data from various sources so that you can find everything from phone numbers to educational backgrounds. I received a detailed report about the phone numbers that I looked up on Spokeo.
Name Search: Yes
Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
Free Trial: 7-Days Trial for $0.95
Features:
- Caller Identification: You can find out whose phone number is calling you. It helps identify unknown callers with their complete details.
- Scam Call Prevention: You can identify scam callers easily as it shows the company and owner’s name. It helps protect you from fraudulent activities such as phising.
- Text Message Investigation: This feature allows you to find out who’s texting your significant other or your child. I benefited from using it to uncover unknown texters on SMS and other social media apps.
- Harassment Tracking: You can discover who’s been harassing you with calls and texts. It helps stop persistent harassment and block numbers.
- Catfish Detection: I could catch a catfish and scope out potential dates. It can also provide access to online images and social media accounts.
- Seller Verification: You can verify the identities of online sellers, like those you encounter on Craigslist. It ensures seller authenticity with complete seller information, including the address of the phone number owner.
- Background Report: I could easily access background reports such as court records, criminal records, DUIs, arrests, bankruptcies, properties, family and relatives, etc.
Pros
Cons
7-Days Trial for $0.95
2) Intelius
While conducting my evaluation, I came across Intelius, a phone number lookup service. It lets you access unlimited public records and gather complete phone number details. I particularly appreciate that its reverse phone lookup can reveal the owner’s name, address, and phone service provider.
Name Search: Yes
Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
Free Trial: 5-Day Trial at $0.95
Features:
- Owner Details: It helped me access owner details, including full names, known aliases, and possibly photos with a phone number. I was impressed with how swiftly it provided me with accurate owner information.
- Owner Histories: Owner histories provide current and past names and addresses, ensuring you have comprehensive background information.
- Contact Information: I received additional contact information, and it included alternate contact forms, like email, offering more ways to reach out.
- Location History: It offers location history that provides the current and past addresses of the phone number owner.
- Social Media Profiles: Intelius can easily comb through social media platforms linked to the phone number, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn.
Pros
Cons
7-Days Trial for $0.95
3) BeenVerified
I particularly appreciate BeenVerified’s comprehensive free reverse phone number lookup service. BeenVerified provides company addresses, business numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers. In addition to business information, they also provide reverse phone lookups and social media accounts.
Name Search: Yes
Reverse Phone Lookup: Yes
Reverse Address Lookup: Yes
Free Trial: 7-Day Trial at $1*
Features:
- Detailed Records: It provides comprehensive reports, including personal details, online profiles, and other relevant information.
- Address Lookup: Its contact lookup can help you locate the phone number owner’s current and past addresses. Apart from their residence, I could also view the locations they were associated with in the past, such as school or college.
- Property Search: This tool retrieves valuable information like property ownership history. Thus, it can bring up previously owned properties, currently owned estates, etc.
- Social Media Integration: A key strength of BeenVerified is its ability to connect phone numbers to social media accounts.
- People Search: It can discover a person’s contact details, family members, past residences and current address.
Pros
Cons
7-Day trial for $1
4) Truecaller
Truecaller helps users monitor incoming calls before you answer them. When a number is not on your contact list, Truecaller intercepts the call and asks a few questions to ensure it’s legitimate. I found it helpful for screening unknown number details online.
Features:
- Caller Management: Truecaller puts users in charge of who reaches them with permission-based contacts. This helped me ignore or receive calls according to my will and priority.
- User-Friendly Interface: It is a user-friendly app that anybody can use to identify who is calling me from a certain phone number.
- Automatic Identification: I benefited from using this app, which automatically identifies people calling or texting you and alerts you.
- Block Calls: Using Truecaller, I could block spams, scammers, and other unwanted calls easily.
Pros
Cons
Link: https://www.truecaller.com/us
Method 2: Dialing *69 to Trace the Unknown Number
Dialing *69 on a landline isn’t new, but it is still essential today, and you can use it when you get a call with an unknown caller’s number or find out number(no) caller ID. Even if the person hangs up or you don’t want to pick up, you can dial *69 after the call is done, and it will connect you to the number that just called you.
While this move didn’t give me the person’s exact number, it helped me reconnect with them. You can then inquire why they called and try to gather insight into the person and his/her purpose.
Method 3: Dialing *57 to Track an Unknown Caller ID number
Those who routinely receive harassing phone calls or get calls often from numbers that hang up without talking might appreciate the *57 option.
When you dial *57, your phone will call back the number that just called you, similar to *69. I found out that the *57 feature lets the phone company track the last number that called you and record all relevant metadata. Authorities can use this archive of information if they need the records for legal cases.
However, I suggest recording the date and time when you use the *57 method. If this information is lacking, it might delay your report.
Method 4: Contact Your Phone Company to Trace Unknown Number
A simple solution that I discovered for finding the unknown caller’s information is to obtain the mystery phone number by calling your service plan provider from your phone. Most often, they will reveal the unknown number that called you with a few simple searches on their end. The representative acts as an anonymous caller ID service in this process.
I could also get a full list of every number that has called me in a set period, no matter if their ID was blocked. Your company might also be able to assist you, and you can take additional measures, such as blocking certain numbers so they cannot call you again.
It’s worth noting that the company may impose a charge for this service. While they may not, in some cases finding out the source of an anonymous caller can go beyond the scope of your plan.
Method 5: Report Scam Calls to the FTC
Once you discover that a call is coming from a telemarketer, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can perform this action online on the government website by entering the pertinent information.
The FTC highly monitors scam calls, and they rely on citizen reports to track current trends and offenders. By sharing your information, you are helping to end the act of undesired telemarketing and fraud.
How do you silence unknown callers from your iPhone?
Apple has an inbuilt feature in their phone’s operating system that allows you to filter out numbers with no caller ID. The Silence Unknown feature essentially blocks unknown callers. Your phone won’t ring if it’s an unknown caller, but they can still leave a voicemail for you. However, I have noticed that it still registers the number as a missed call.
Are unknown calls dangerous?
Most unknown calls are no more than a nuisance, but there are scammers out there trying to take advantage of you. So, it is important to remain vigilant regarding unknown calls because it could be an international call that will cost you hefty fees if you answer. Genuine callers will leave a message if it’s important.
Summary
- For a blocked caller ID number, try *69
- To report the call, dial *57
- Spokeo and Intelius can help you track down the person behind a number
- The app Truecaller will help you screen your calls through caller ID
- Report all telemarketers to the FTC to avoid unwanted calls
