It’s always a little nerve wracking when you get a call from an unknown number. You wonder if you should answer it in case it’s important, or if it’s just another one of those robocalls.
There is a way for you to find out who is calling you once and for all using reverse phone lookup.
What is a reverse phone lookup?
Reverse phone lookup is an easy way to track who is calling you, where the call is coming from, and determine if it is spam or a legitimate phone number. Unfortunately, most reverse phone number lookup services are not free. However, there are a few ways to get around this hurdle and get you the information you need.
What services can I use for free?
There are services out there that can help you find what you’re looking for without asking you for money.
Google lets people search for phone numbers for free, and there’s a good chance you’ll find what you’re looking for. All you have to do is go to Google’s homepage, enter the number with the area code in the search tab, and press Enter.
The first few results may be from reverse search services that may require you to pay. Instead of falling for the scam, keep scrolling to see if there is anything public on the phone number. It can be listed as part of a business, social media page, or personal webpage.
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You can also try writing the phone number into the search tab without any hyphens or brackets. This might help produce different results, as Google will always search for the exact same term as written in the search tab. Alternatively, you could try searching for the number using the term “spam”, which may help bring up results if the number has already been reported.
real caller
Truecaller helps you determine who is really on the other end of the call.
(CyberGuy.com)
Truecaller is a free app for both iOS and android. You can subscribe to their premium plan for some extra features. It can identify people and businesses you don’t have saved on your phone as potential spam, and it logs all calls you make or receive from unknown numbers. You can use one of its three main services to see if a phone number in the app is legitimate:
- Manually search for a number by typing it into the search bar
- Search for numbers as you dial them so you know where the number came from before you call
- With LiveCallerId, it identifies the calling number before you answer it.
The only downside is that you have to send them an email before you can start using it, but they promise not to make any of your information public or searchable.
reverse lookup
Reverse Lookup is a Nomadic Ratio app that allows you to manually enter a phone number into it and it will return the name and non-specific location associated with that number. You can also make calls, save numbers to your contacts or have incoming calls sent directly to your voicemail. It will also indicate if the call you received might be spam. You have to subscribe to Reverse Lookup PLUS to use their live caller ID feature, and if you think you want to have it, it’s only $2 a month.
Reverse Lookup provides real-time caller ID for an additional fee.
(CyberGuy.com)
spy dialer
Spy Dialer is another free service that can provide you with a lot of useful information. It lets you know the full name of the person associated with multiple numbers and shows a map of the approximate location of the number based on the number’s area code.
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It will also tell you how long the phone number has been active and whether the number is a landline or mobile. All features of Spy Dialer are completely free, they do not offer subscription plans for more services, so what you see is what you get.
Spy Dialer’s service is completely free.
(CyberGuy.com)
white pages
Whitepages is probably one of the more reliable services listed here, since it’s been around for over 20 years. The only catch is that the free version gives you basic information like the type of number, wireless carrier, and the chances that the number is spam.
If you want to have more features like reporting robocall numbers, you have to pay their monthly fee. But other than that, it’s an excellent service that will help you search for suspicious numbers. Whitepages also offers an app that can be used to iOS and android equipment.
Whitepages has been an online choice for over two decades.
(CyberGuy.com)
US phone book
USPhoneBook allows people to search for 10-digit numbers and gives them the names and locations associated with those numbers.
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It only allows people to search for numbers within the US, not international numbers, but it still provides useful information, like letting you know if the number is a mobile or landline. It also allows people to search by someone’s name or address (if you have that information handy as well).
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