Scam and spam calls are getting more common. And they’re hard not to answer because the number comes up as “unknown.” When there’s no caller ID number, you can’t be sure if it’s a spam caller or an important call you’ve been waiting for.
If you’re anticipating a job offer or a call from a client, not knowing who’s calling can make this situation worse. Plus, you can’t block spam callers if their numbers don’t appear. Tap or click here to see what the most popular phone carriers do about spam calls from robocallers.
Fortunately, there are ways to find out who’s calling you from an unknown or blocked number. We put together a helpful guide on finding an unknown caller number. First, a privacy step I think everyone should take.
The easiest way to wipe your number from the web
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After three minutes, Incogni went to work removing my details from privacy-stealing data brokers and people search sites. Since I signed up for Incogni, the robocalls and telemarketing calls have stopped completely. The same goes for spam.
I negotiated an exclusive deal just for you. Right now, get 60% off an annual subscription of Incogni using the promo code KIM60. If you’re not completely satisfied in 30 days, cancel and get your money back. You’re gonna love it like I do, though. I just know it.
OK, onto the tricks!
Star 69
When mysterious phone calls clutter your call log, this phone number lookup trick helps you identify the unknown number calling your device. Follow these steps, and you won’t have to grimace when you look down at your phone and see that unknown number.
You may have heard of or used *67 to conceal your number from someone you called. Did you know there are similar numbers you can dial to respond to these anonymous callers?
The first one is *69, which traces the number of the last person who called you. It works even for anonymous or hidden calls, so you can get the phone number and the exact time they called.
Once you have that hidden phone number, you can block it on your phone, so it can’t call you anymore.
Dialing *69 may also provide you with the option to call a number back right then and there, so if you want to confront a scam or spam caller, you can. But don’t expect to get any information from them or be removed from their list.
Another number you can use to trace a call is *57. This is the number to use if you believe a scam or spam caller is harassing you. *57 gets you the phone number and call information *69 does, but it goes above and beyond.
When you dial *57, the information you obtain is passed along to the police. Your phone service will log a *57 call in a special way, so authorities can more easily locate whoever is harassing you and arrest them.
You’re also meant to call the police right after a *57 call with a written log of the calls from your harasser so that the police can act. If you feel an anonymous caller is contacting you too often, it’s worth using this number; otherwise, stick with *69.
Note: Many phone companies charge extra for *69 and *57 calls, so don’t be surprised to see a few additional charges on your bill if you use them. Also, not every phone company provides these services. Check with yours to see if it does.
Contact your phone provider
If you need help with a consistent spammer, you can contact your provider directly for caller ID services. You might even be able to find out who blocks your caller ID.
More importantly, you can also ask for Anonymous Caller ID on a particular caller. This can help you ID spammers and let you block them on your own if you don’t want to pay for a subscription. Tap or click here to see how the top carriers are fighting robocallers.
When inquiring about your carrier’s services and pricing, remember there are also third-party apps you can utilize.
Get an app
There’s an app for everything, including identifying unknown or blocked numbers as they come to your phone. (We don’t recommend relying on Siri’s suggestions.) One of the most popular apps is TrapCall. This app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
It tells you the number of anonymous calls in real time and can automatically block spam. It does notify you when it blocks a call, just in case you want to call back. But you can create a blocklist, and when they call, the app plays a message claiming your number was disconnected.
And fake numbers aren’t a problem, either. TrapCall forces callers to identify themselves before letting their calls go through. Get your first week of TrapCall free. Then it starts at $5.99 monthly for a single user or $9.99 for the premium package.
The premium package allows you to record incoming calls and the option to play a warning message to make sure whatever you do complies with your state’s laws. The warning is not mandatory.
There are other caller ID apps out there, as well, like Truecaller. Tap or click here to learn more about Truecaller.
For all those unknown callers
The goal of identifying unknown phone numbers is to block those you don’t want to speak to. If you have an iPhone, you can take a more extreme step and automatically block numbers that aren’t on your Contacts list.
This feature is called Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from numbers not in your Contacts will still go to your voicemail and appear in your recent calls list, but your phone won’t ring for them.
If you get a lot of unknown calls, this might be the feature for you. Just follow these steps to turn it on:
- Go to Settings, then Phone.
- Scroll down to the Silence Unknown Callers heading and select it.
- Slide the toggle next to Silence Unknown Callers to the right to enable the feature.
A similar feature exists on the Samsung Galaxy. To activate that:
- Open the Phone app, and tap the More icon at the bottom of the screen — it’s the one that has three verticle dots.
- Tap Settings, then Call blocking.
- Turn the Block anonymous calls switch to on.
If you have another type of Android, you can download the Should I Answer? app for a version of the Silence Unknown Callers feature.
Learning who is calling you anonymously can save you the headache and potential exploitation of spam and scam calls. Tap or click here for information regarding the Anti-robocall law.
Whether you have iOS or Android, use any of the above methods to ID hidden phone numbers and block them. Or stop unknown numbers altogether. Whatever your method, you’ll be keeping yourself safe — and sparing yourself some annoyance — which is 100% worth the effort.
How to tell if it’s a spam number
An easy way to find out is to Google the number. It’s kind of like a reverse image search.
You may see that it has been reported before by inputting the phone number into the search bar. People on forums will often share stories about scammy calls, posting the scammers’ numbers for all the world to see.
If your Google search leads you to a forum of people discussing spammers, that’s a red flag. However, if the number appears on a company website, the phone number may be from a legitimate company.
Notice that we said it may be from a legitimate company. Remember, caller ID spoofing is a huge problem. If a number calling you is from a company, that doesn’t necessarily mean the company is calling you.
