Answering incognito and anonymous calls that are not in the phone book is not a good idea for any subscriber. Most people avoid dealing with marketers who are trying to sell another dummy at a discount. They reject an incoming call if they don’t see a familiar number. You can avoid calls from an unknown number.
Each subscriber has at least 3 ways to check who owns the phone number and preventively block incoming calls. We are talking about the use of public registries, closed databases and even mobile applications.
Search engines
The easiest way to identify the owner of an unknown number is to enter data into any search engine (for example, Google, Bing, Yahoo). Based on the results of the issuance, it is easy to draw conclusions and clarify who the call came from: an individual or a call centre representative. Relevant information is in public registries, sites about scammers and even forums. Access to some sites is provided after registration.
Caller ID Sites
An alternative to driving in a number that called into global search engines is the use of special registries. On such sites, content is created directly by Internet users. Ordinary subscribers who have accessed online resources can check the phone number in the database and find out who called (scammer, marketer or ordinary citizen). Here are the benefits of such platforms:
- you can quickly determine who owns the phone number and share your experience;
- in most cases, data about companies and scammers are available without registration;
- Only authorized users are allowed to add information about those who abuse the mailing list or spam.
Social networks
Free identification of calls from an unknown number is possible through social networks. Those who want to protect themselves from unscrupulous methods of intercepting bank card passwords can find useful comments on such pages. Not only with screenshots, but also with audio or video files.
Before you find out an unknown number, you have to tinker. Internal search does not work even with contacts of persons who are friends of a particular user. Therefore, the identification of scammers will be routine, consisting of visiting public pages and viewing dozens of comments. This means that it is better to look for an alternative service.
Messengers
You can try to find people who called from a specific number in instant messengers installed on your smartphone. The most common are Viber, Whatsapp and Telegram. At the moment, this is the most popular way to clarify subscriber details. Although the information is limited to a photo and a short profile description. If you are lucky, you will be able to find out the name, surname and company that the potential manager represents.
Applications
For enthusiasts who prefer open registries, this is not so easy to do. With the introduction of the “Personal Data Protection Law” in various countries, most public platforms have ceased to work effectively. But the restrictions do not yet apply to mobile applications for Android and iOS.
Getcontact
It is a messaging service with over 250 million users worldwide. After installing the application, you can quickly find out the subscriber ID. Works even if the data is not saved in the contact book. The main function of the program is the filtering of incoming calls and a spam filter. It is available for Android and iOS.
Truecaller
The application identifies the subscriber by phone number, displaying information taken from open and closed sources. The database compiled by the developers includes more than 3 billion records.
The Truecaller platform is an advanced tool that, in addition to checking the number, will allow you to backup your data, block unwanted calls and SMS on your Phone. Before you can find out who called from an unknown number, the user will have to register. Here are the basic principles of the platform:
- After installing the application, you will be prompted to sign in with a Google or Microsoft account.
- Works in the background. The information is displayed as a hint (when a call is received from a suspicious caller).
- If you use Truecaller through the website, an advanced search is available. But you will have to agree to send the phone book to the cloud (stored in your Google or Microsoft account).
In the premium version, automatic filtering of calls for spam is available. Users will also know who has viewed their profile.
It is available for Android and iOS.
CallApp
After installing the application, the user does not have the opportunity to answer an anonymous call. Only if the number is added to the phonebook, outgoing and incoming calls will be allowed.
CallApp developers “load” data from social pages for risk analysis. The system displays the caller’s name and photo, providing activity information whenever possible. The process of identifying and adding to the bank takes less than two seconds.
A simple program to determine who owns a phone number is useful in helping to avoid spam. Blocking calls and messages from suspicious callers is the most important feature. Developers use special algorithms and artificial intelligence to filter data with further hints.
It is available for Android only.
Conclusion
Answering calls from unknown numbers puts you at risk of being scammed. An attempt to call back after a missed call may end up being added to the so-called “hot bases”. In this case, you have to spend 3-4 minutes on a useless conversation with an extremely dedicated call centre employee trying to convince people to place an order.
Due to fraudulent schemes, the number of enthusiasts trying to figure out how to find out who is calling a phone number is in the hundreds of thousands. An ordinary subscriber can use one of the presented methods in order to prevent incidents and unnecessary problems.
