2022-10-06
There are simple ways to identify the number owner, simple and complex. Let's look at them in more detail in this material, and you choose from them the ones that are most convenient for you.
In addition, take a look at Identity Awareness applications such as Truecaller. It's useful in figuring out who the caller is or if the phone number belongs to an organization. For Truecaller, we've written detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to configure it. You can install this software on Android and iOS.
Content :
Who needs phone number information
There are several reasons why you should know the phone number.
- you will eliminate promotional calls that are not helpful but take up your time;
- you will avoid fraudulent calls that may cause you to lose your money
- you will not miss important calls such as those from your bank or other institution that you do not have in your phonebook.
How do you find out who is calling you?
There are several good ways to punch your phone number online. Which one you choose is up to you, they all work, so it's simply a question of your own convenience.
We use Google
A surprisingly simple method, but nevertheless very powerful. If the phone number of the person who calls you belongs to a legal entity, it is for sure listed on the official website or in one of the online directories. Telephone numbers of scammers are also massively collected and placed at specialized resources.
You can simply enter the number that popped up on your phone screen into Google or any other search engine you prefer. Among the top results, you will almost certainly find the contact you are interested in.
To find a phone number through Google, follow the steps:
- Go to the website //www.google.ru
- In the search field, enter the telephone number and click Enter
- Find the results and follow the links.
- If no number is found, try to spell it or enter a part of it or remove the country / region code.
This way of searching is not ideal as search engines respect privacy and remove private data from the results if possible.
Databases of fraudulent organizations
There are fraudulent organizations listed in various databases. Therefore, it is convenient to read through Google or Yandex reviews of companies with the corresponding phone numbers.
This is the list of sites where you can search for companies by phone number:
- baza-nomerov.com
- allnum.ru
- tel-search.ru
- kto-abonent.com
- soft-reg.ru
What is useful is that in addition to the person or company name the services indicate similar numbers or ranges. This also helps to identify scammers or anonymous dialers.
The sites essentially contain similar contact bases, they overlap with each other. They are mostly free to access, although there are paid features as well.
Viber and Whatsapp as phone number identifiers
If necessary, you can connect social messengers to the search. The thing is, as a rule, the attachment of users is done by phone number. Thus, if you try to add a phone number in the address book, you will see the avatar of the user of the particular number, and the name or nickname.
Instructions for determining the number in the desktop version of Viber:
- Install VIber
- If necessary, create an account
- Enter the phone number, the complete number with the international code
- If the search fails, try other numbers if available
- The name will appear in the results.
- The next step is to search by photo, this will bring you to more complete information.
In the mobile version, do the following:
- Go to the menu - the button with the 3 bars at the top
- Click Add contact
- Enter the phone number, press Continue
- The contact will be displayed in your phonebook in avatar.
Of course, the method will only work if the number owner you are looking for is registered in Viber, Whatsapp or a similar app. This can be both the desktop version of the messenger and the mobile application.
Use social networks to find contacts
If the one who calls you is registered in social networks and has indicated his number without hiding it, it will be easy enough to find the subscriber by phone. To do so:
- Go to a social network such as Facebook
- Enter the number in the search field;
- If you wish, narrow down your search results to "by person" or select a more exact location;
- If you search in posts, you will probably not find the information you are searching for;
- Click on the result to make sure the page of this person really contains the number you are looking for.
Here are the special services
There are special services on the Internet that help to determine who called from this number that you indicate. Not all of them are reputable and not all of them may be quite accurate, but as a rule you do not lose anything. An example of such a service is "The Seeker".
It is very easy to use this service to check your telephone number:
- Go to the "Seeker" site;
- Enter the telephone number you are interested in using the search field;
- Confirm your search by clicking on "Search";
- Wait for the results of the search in the database.
- Find additional information (indicated under "Here is what I found by number").
The principle is the same for many other similar services. We are not going to list them all, you may find them by typing "find the phone number for free" or similar.
Best Caller ID applications
Truecaller (guide)
Truecaller caller ID works exactly the same way as the Getcontact application (see below), the differences are not important. Therefore choose any one of the applications.
Features of Truecaller:
- Can be used as a blacklist for undesired callers
- Manually and extensively search numbers from the Truecaller
- Get the caller name, mobile operator, other callers references
- How to find the name in the address book of other people
How to identify the phone number:
The algorithm for using Truecaller is similar, you also install the app.
- Download Truecaller for iOS or Android.
- Install Truecaller on your phone.
- Make Truecaller the default caller application.
- Install the Auto Detect and Anti-Spam App.
- Enter your telephone number and click Continue.
- Wait for code confirmation via SMS.
- Register your account through Google or Facebook.
- Incoming calls and SMS messages will be automatically detected.
- On some versions of Android you may even set up phone talk recording in the Settings * .
- For fine tuning, go to the Caller ID settings.
- Optionally, you may set up the blocking of undesired contacts.
* (you will have the proof that the call was indeed an undesired one)
Getcontact
The Getcontact application is very likely to identify who is calling you. You do not have to perform any operation to do so.
For the number you must:
- Install Getcontact;
- Confirm your phone number;
- Ensure the application permissions that it requests;
- Setup, if necessary, automatic protection from unwanted calls.
Please note that Getcontact requires Internet access, otherwise it cannot effectively identify callers. The program has a paid version, but for basic identifying who is calling.
Request to the police (should I?)
Request to the police is a last resort, only makes sense in situations that involve an actual crime.
It makes no sense to search for the phone number of the offender in an attempt to get to the bottom of the situation. What's more, this way of homing in on the situation can lead to the worst.
If you have witnessed a crime you should contact the police. Further action, such as identification of the fraudster (including through the phone number) or of the perpetrator of another type of crime will be determined by the appropriate authorities.
What methods are better not to use
We have listed several effective options on how to obtain the number of the caller. But for the sake of completeness, let us indicate the methods that are strongly recommended not to use.
- Buying bases. Often, phone number databases stolen from mobile operators are found on the internet. Although these may be genuine, first, this is an illegal method which is in violation of the law and second, these databases are usually outdated and may not correspond to reality.
- Applying to the operator. It is unlikely that you can be helped to find out the person by his phone number, unless there is a really compelling reason. If, for example, you receive threats from this number, then you may be assisted and check the number, although they may also offer to go to the police first, which will delay the process somewhat.
- Transferring money to the number from which the call is made. There is an old trick where you transfer a small amount to the person's account at one of the cell phone stores or at the operator's office. Before completing the transfer, you ask the operator to tell you what name and surname the transfer is being made to, ostensibly to make sure there is no mistake. But this method is a losing one. Firstly, there is a risk that the operator knows about this method and will not help you. Secondly, you will lose money. Thirdly, you will only be able to identify individuals in this way. If you still want to try this method, try to transfer a small amount of money using Sberbank Online, if you are a Sberbank client. If the caller is also a Sberbank customer, a part of his/her name will pop up, which may be enough for identification.
What to remember when searching for the number
Sometimes the methods of caller identification are incorrect. The fact is that phones are not assigned to a person for life, they may first belong to one person and then to someone else. But this may not always be reflected promptly enough in the various online databases. In addition, some numbers may not exist in them at all. So always keep in mind that the methods described above are more like a safety net, but not a guaranteed way to determine who called you. Only the operator knows this and he has no reason to share this information with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have not found an answer to your question? Please write in the comments, we will answer it for you!
Is it legal to call and recognize the owner of the phone number in the database?
If you use the information from public sources using for example search engine for informational purposes - is it legal and does not violate the RF legislation.
If this service is provided on the black market (through the closed leaked databases) or by the company's employee (for example, a mobile operator) it is a serious violation of the law. Cell phone number tampering, leakage of confidential information in banking structures is also fraught with danger.
There is also a moral aspect to this question: why do you want to know the owner of the phone number? Ask yourself this question and act as you see fit.
Can the owner of the phone be identified via his IMEI
Yes, but only if the owner of the phone gave his passport when purchasing the phone. So it would be possible to prove the phone owner's identity in the court case. Also IMEI allows us to find out whose SIM card was used in the phone, who owns it.
In general, such information is rarely needed by ordinary people, more often it is requested by the competent authorities, where there are other ways of search, more operative.
