✅ In this article we will figure out how to find out the owner by phone number absolutely legally and free of charge. You can get a phone number and find out who it belongs to in many legal ways, and you don’t have to resort to the help of mobile operator employees or bank employees. Such methods will be discussed in this article.
In many countries, tapping a stranger's cell phone number is illegal and can lead to administrative or criminal liability, although in practice it is quite difficult to prove guilt unless caught red-handed.
Is number punching legal?
Providing a phone number in Russia and other former CIS countries may be illegal . For example, if the identification of the number is carried out by an employee of a mobile operator or bank, who uses secure databases for this.
Penetration of cell numbers by employees of banks or operators threatens with a real criminal sentence. From time to time, news appears in the media that another employee of a large bank or operator is caught red-handed while trying to transfer confidential information to third parties. This is a very common story.
In 2021, 49 sentences . In most cases, the police caught the perpetrators. Those who, for a certain amount, punch out numbers and transfer information to an anonymous organizer. The latter are usually beyond the reach of authorities, so the market for illegal number punching is thriving .
But there are also completely legal ways to punch numbers. They allow you to find out a lot of information, but will not even be punished by a warning from law enforcement agencies. It is these legal methods that we talked about in this article.
To the content.
Check if the number has gone to another operator
If you have access to the official database of ported numbers, then it’s easy.
We check whether the subscriber has changed the operator, throwing off the shackles of “mobile slavery”. The Institute of Communications uploads the BDPN to the SFTP server, in three folders.
The first folder contains a complete reference book. The second includes incremental updates. And the third stores the numbers returned to the “owners”
- PortAllNew
folder contains the full version of the directory. This is one file that is updated daily at 00:00 Moscow time; - PortIncrementNew
- for incremental updates. Every two hours a file with the latest transferred numbers is added here; - ReturnIncrementNew
are numbers that were returned to the “owners” according to the Rossvyaz numbering plan. Here, too, a new file appears every two hours.
Inside the folders, data for all operators of all regions is stored without dividing into files. The files are needed to differentiate between updates.
The date and time of the update are inserted into the name of the increments. If you want to receive ported numbers as quickly as possible, here you go. If there is no urgency, it’s easier to download the full directory once a day
The file format is CSV compressed in ZIP. Inside, it couldn’t be simpler.
There are three fields in directory files: number, operator and number of lines. Moreover, the third field is filled in only for the first line - an elegant solution
The BDPN does not store history: every day all transferred numbers are uploaded to the server. If the phone is not in the full directory or in the daily increments, then it is subject to the Rossvyaz plan. Therefore, for our purposes, the folder with the returned numbers is ReturnIncrementNew
- need not.
Every day we download fresh BDPN from the server. Any SFTP client is suitable for this: WinSCP or FileZilla FTP Client is suitable for Windows, Nautilus is suitable for Ubuntu. The classic mistake in this case is to leave the default FTP in the settings instead of the default SFTP. You can suffer like this for a long time, don’t repeat our mistakes.
When the directory of ported numbers is at hand, all that remains is to look for the number being studied in it. Option two:
- The number was found in the BDPN. In this case, we change the operator from the Rossvyaz plan to a new one;
- the number is not in the BDPN - we leave the operator as is.
That's all the wisdom.
Search the phone number in search engines
Almost any number can be fully searched on the Internet. So much so that you can find out not only various personal information about the owner, but also get his photo.
It’s best to start punching with a banal query in search engines. This will allow you to quickly determine whether the number belongs to any public organizations or scammers.
There is only one secret to getting numbers through Google and Yandex search engines. Look for a number in three formats:
- 89xxxxxxxxx
- 79xxxxxxxxx
- +7 (9xx) xxx-xx-xx
Websites typically ask users to enter numbers in one of these formats. Therefore, searching for each of them is the most effective.
What should you pay attention to in search engine results? For any information that differs from the basic information known about each number. On the first page of search results there may be reviews about the number from other people, websites of organizations to which the numbers belong, and even pages from social networks.
If you couldn’t find anything concrete, then the main thing is not to get upset. This is only the first way. The following methods will definitely help you learn more about a person.
To the content.
Beware of scammers
There are many scammers operating on the Internet. They lure gullible people into traps, trying to extract money from them in exchange for information. They promise to provide complete information about the owner of the number and even disclose information about his current location. In fact, only intelligence services have access to such information. Also, you should not trust people who sell supposedly fresh databases of cellular operators for pennies - in 999 cases out of 1000 this is fraud.
3 2 Votes
Article rating
Find a number via Viber and WhatsApp
Viber and WhatsApp messengers are powerful tools for finding additional information about a number. Both messengers store usernames and their photos in a virtually open format. To gain access to them, you just need to add the number as a contact in the messenger.
The dialed subscriber will not know anything . Adding a person to your contact book is silent. Moreover, you don’t need to directly add a contact. You just need to start adding. The person's name and profile photo will be shown before the contact is confirmed.
A simple message through the messenger, and now you have the person’s name and his photo in your hands. This information is enough to find a person on social networks by name and city. A successful search can also be performed using photos in similar services to FindFace, for example, FindClone .
To the content.
Popular instant messengers for finding the owner of a number
It’s no secret that messengers are used by billions of people around the world. Quite often, such programs are tied to the user’s number, and he enters not only his photos, but also some identification data into his profile.
Thus, you can enter an unfamiliar number into the phone book of your smartphone under some convenient name, and then call this number through popular instant messengers - Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp and others. Typically, instant messengers make it easy to find contacts from your phone book. Therefore, if the calling number has a profile in these messengers, you can easily detect it.
For example, in the case of Viber, you must first enter an unfamiliar calling number into your mobile phone book under some convenient name (for example, “Stranger”). After this, be sure to turn on the Internet on your phone, launch your Viber, and click on the round button to create a conversation.
A list of people with whom you can create a conversation will open. Search for “Stranger” in the list, and it’s quite possible that not only his profile will be there, but also his photo.
This also works with other messengers. Moreover, if you do not send any messages to this person, he will never know that you were interested in his number.
Check through Sberbank Online
It’s rare, but it happens that a person is not in any of the messengers. Then the Sberbank Online application can help you find out his first name, patronymic and first letter of his last name.
Here you need to start making a money transfer using your phone number. Select 1 ruble as the transfer amount. However, even a ruble will not be debited from your account. There is no need to confirm the transfer.
After entering the phone number for the transfer, the Sberbank Online service will show the recipient’s first name, patronymic and first letter of the last name. Of course, if a person has a Sberbank card.
To the content.
Dial a phone number using special services
More detailed information about the number can be found through special web services. Just go to the website, enter a phone number and get additional information about a person or organization.
Reviews of the room are left by other users. Using such web services, it is especially effective to identify calls from scammers, call centers, banks or mobile operators. People complain about them very actively.
What services should I use? There are four best for CIS countries:
- who-calling.rf
- zvonkoff.net
- zvonili.com
- neberitrubku.ru
Each site contains a huge database of numbers with reviews from users. All services are free and do not require money or registration to access.
Of course, with the help of such services it is impossible to find out the identity of the caller, as is the case with other methods. However, they often make it possible to determine which company or organization the number belongs to. Need to use it .
To the content.
Reasons for searching for a contact
The main reason for contacting different services is the purpose of searching for a number. Looking for a phone number often occurs for important reasons. Often a phone number is searched for in order to lose the previous number, but there are also more important moments when a person has disappeared and cannot be found. Depending on the degree of importance, you need to choose the most convenient way for yourself to search for a phone number by last name and first name.
Previously, paper telephone directories were created for such purposes, in which registered subscribers were listed in alphabetical order. The search was public and very convenient. But over time, many new technologies appeared and the number of subscribers increased sharply. This made it necessary to contain all subscriber data in electronic form. This type of information has become closed to a large number of users. Electronic services have become more convenient and this method will not require you to spend a lot of time searching.
Search service
The most common reason is loss of contact due to some personal circumstances. The easiest way to return the loss is to ask your friends to dictate the subscriber’s phone number. This method is the simplest, most effective and efficient.
The second reason is the disappearance of the person himself. In the age of high technology, most gadgets are equipped with systems with which you can find a subscriber.
Sometimes a phone number is sought for a harmless prank. The reason is not common, but is used among people who are looking for missing relatives. To search for this type, they use open services that can be used in the public domain.
Not all search methods are legal. But not everyone turns to such a search, because there are more reasonable methods. Many search engines are paid, but there is a chance to find free ones, it all depends on their demand and popularity. Searching on the Internet and social networks is also quite effective. Despite the diversity, there are also negative aspects. Due to the large number of mobile operators and telephone numbers, a subscriber can easily change the number of his mobile device at any moment. And in any of the sources where there is data about him, they will not be changed immediately. The reliability of the information offered is compromised.
Search for a number on social networks
Nowadays, few people are not registered on social networks. It’s no wonder that searching for a number on social networks often turns out to be a winner.
You can search manually . Enter the number directly in the search on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook or Instagram to find all its mentions. A person’s number can be found both on his page and in his posts. For example, the person you are looking for could leave their contacts in communities.
Facebook is especially easy to sell out its users. In the world's largest social network, you can find a user's page by phone number. True, if such a search is allowed in the privacy settings of the page. Many users have this option enabled, so searching by number on Facebook is a must.
As is the case with search engines, it is recommended to search for a number on social networks in three formats:
- 89xxxxxxxxx
- 79xxxxxxxxx
- +7 (9xx) xxx-xx-xx
This will give you a better chance of finding a subscriber.
You can search for a number using social networks automatically. MySMSBox is responsible for this . Go to the website and enter the number in the search. In the main search results, the service will show which operator in which region the number belongs to. Scroll down a little further for more options.
The service allows you to find your phone on social networks, classifieds sites and instant messengers. The site quickly and clearly displays information about a person available on the Internet. The payout can be extremely large. In particular, if a person has not paid enough attention to the confidentiality of his online accounts.
To the content.
How to determine an operator using USSD requests
For Beeline subscribers
This operator allows the Team to independently resolve common questions regarding Beeline services to check only the affiliation of the number to its network. To do this, enter the USSD command *444*<subscriber number, starting with 9># and press the call button. The response message will contain not only information about the operator, but also - if the number is Beeline - an indication of the region. It's free.
For MegaFon subscribers
At MegaFon, the *629# command and the “Call” button will provide Telephone codes for mobile operators with access to the menu in which you need to enter the subscriber number. In response, the operator and region are given. The request is free.
For Tele2 subscribers
They need to How to find out an operator by mobile phone number, dial the command *190*<subscriber number># and press the call button. The operator and region of the number binding will be displayed on the screen. The service is free.
Enter the phone number in the number database
Number databases are the first thing that comes to mind for most people when it comes to the need to call a person by number. But nowadays, number databases are practically useless.
You can find a live and free database of numbers, but the chance that it will provide any information about the person is minimal. The fact is that almost all open databases of numbers are old. They haven't been updated for years .
At the same time, the quality of the number databases is terrible. The number you need will certainly be in the databases. But all that can be found out is the region to which the phone belongs. This is not valuable information .
Therefore, searching and queries in number databases in 99% of cases is a useless exercise. But you are in a situation where all means are good, then you can try.
From time to time, fresh databases of numbers with real data about people leak into RuNet. The last such leak occurred in 2018. Then data about 78 million (!) numbers . All of them were originally posted publicly, but can no longer be found.
Where to look for bases? Everything is very simple - on the Internet, on forums, on Telegram. Websites with high-quality databases do not last long. Of the verified databases, we note the database on the website “ WhoseNumber ”. But it hasn't been updated since 2021.
To the content.
Is it really possible to find out who owns a mobile number?
As is known, the legislation of the Russian Federation, by the letter of Law No. 304-FZ of November 2, 2013, obliges Russian mobile operators to enter into agreements for the sale of SIM cards, and to enter the passport data of subscribers into such agreements. Anonymous street sale of SIM cards is prohibited. Now, behind every Russian mobile number there is a very real person, whose passport details and place of registration can be determined if necessary.
This information is not provided to everyone, but only to specialized authorities (police, FSB, court, and so on).
These legislative norms do not prevent enterprising citizens from circumventing these prohibitions and purchasing SIM cards from their own hands, or issuing them to some marginalized people. Nevertheless, behind each number in Russia there is a completely identified person, and this is what distinguishes Russian mobile numbers, for example, from Ukrainian ones.
If you are wondering who is the owner of a particular phone, then the Internet provides you with a fairly wide field for identifying the owner of the number. This can even be done for free and without registration. Let us describe each of these methods in detail.
This may be useful: Why the connection is interrupted during a phone call.
Dial a phone number through apps for iPhone and Android
But those who have the latest databases of numbers are the developers of auto-number IDs for mobile devices. Their databases contain millions of phones , including some private ones. However, don't expect to win over your girlfriend or ex-husband with these apps. This is more for determining information about different organizations.
Three applications are recommended for punching. First of all, the Yandex application ( iOS , Android ), which recently has a high-quality Caller ID built into it. The Yandex database is one of the largest, and the application itself works great. Determines numbers literally in a matter of seconds and does not slow down.
You can also use a similar application, Kaspersky Who Calls ( iOS , Android ). Its base is similar in size, but different, which is the main advantage of the alternative. The application also has a big disadvantage - it is paid.
The third application that is useful in punching numbers can also identify ordinary people, even with details. We are talking about the GetContact application ( iOS , Android ). It shows how the owner of the number is recorded in other people's contact books. Running the number through GetContact can determine that behind the number you are investigating is “Valera Deputy” or “Valera Roof”. Interest in further breaking through the number may decrease. In general, a useful application.
By the way, if you want to remove yourself from the GetContact database (and you most likely are there), then use these instructions . This is the only way to leave.
To the content.
Method for Android
Owners of smartphones running the Android operating system can easily find out their phone number. To do this you need:
- go to the mobile device menu;
- then go to settings;
- there select “Phone information”;
- Here you select the “Status” subsection, where the necessary information is indicated.
It is worth considering that the names of the items may differ slightly depending on the version of the operating system that is installed. Sometimes it happens that the number is not visible. This mainly happens if the SIM card was reissued or changed in the operator’s salon.
This is due to the fact that company employees copy all the encryption keys and other important information onto the new card, but they forget about the cell with their number and it remains blank.
Top up your number in a mobile phone store
One of the oldest ways to identify the owner of a phone. It was used even before Viber and social networks were invented.
Go to the nearest communication store and ask the operator’s employee for the service of replenishing your phone account. Of course, indicate not your number, but the one you are calling. To make sure that the number is entered correctly, ask the salon employee to give the last name. Most often, managers of communication stores call you your full name without a second thought. The main thing is to act confidently and calmly.
Did not work out? No problem, try at another salon.
To the content.
Write a statement to the mobile operator
There are also official ways to get through a phone number and find out the owner. The first method involves contacting the telecom operator directly.
You can submit a request from any operator to obtain information about the owner of a particular number. The request is sent by submitting a special application at the communication salon.
The main point of the statement is the reason for the interest. It must be specified in such a way that the operator considers it significant for satisfying the request. For example, a request with the reason for interest “I want to find a girl on Instagram” will definitely be rejected.
It’s another matter if the person hiding under the number being punched threatens you or your family. There have been many similar cases, especially with debt collectors, in recent years. And quite often, operators really accommodate subscribers and disclose information about the contact they are looking for. Again, with a correct and honest statement with valid reasons for the request.
To the content.
Methods for iPhone
Owners of Apple devices can also quickly find out their phone number. There are several ways to do this.
- Click the Settings icon, then select the Phone section and then the My number subsection (it is at the very top).
- Go to the home menu, then select Phone, and then Contacts (this line is also the top).
- In iTunes, select the Devices section, then click Summary and Phone Number.
If necessary, you can quickly find out the number of the SIM card installed in the iPad (with 3G/4G). To do this, go to the settings and then select the “Number for cellular data” section. An alternative is to put the card in your iPhone and make a call to a friend, who will then dictate the combination of numbers.
Contact the police
Most often, operators do not want to deal with serious phone identity requests themselves. In such cases, they send people to the police.
The police can seriously help you reveal a person’s identity using their phone number. But only after opening an administrative or criminal case.
In other words, you need to contact the police to file a report against the person. If the authorities accept the application and open a case, they will send an official request to dial the number to the operator. Tom will have nowhere to go, and he will provide the necessary data.
It should be noted here that the information disclosed by the operator may not reach you specifically. You will also have to be patient. It often takes weeks to satisfy a police request to a telecom operator.
To the content.
What prevents you from accurately identifying an operator without services?
It would seem that everything is simple: you can remember the codes of countries and telecom operators or take a reference book with such codes, and then look for the required values. But there are nuances.
Crossing codes
Issues of number distribution are dealt with by the International Telephony and Telegraph Consultative Committee (ICITT, ITU‑T). Its regulation No. E.164 states to the International Public Telecommunications Numbering Plan that numbers can have up to 15 digits and are usually written with a "+" prefix.
Immediately after the prefix comes the country code. And this is where the difficulties begin. Thus, the +7 code belongs not only to Russia, but also to Kazakhstan and Abkhazia. +1 - USA, Canada and many Atlantic island states. Therefore, you need to look at the following numbers.
The fewer subscribers there are in a country, the more digits there are in that part of the number that distinguishes it from other countries. Thus, Ukrainian Order 09.29.2008 N 1200 “On the approval of the Plan for the transition to a promising numbering system for the telephone network of the foreign government of Ukraine” numbers in the international format begin with +380, and Belarusian numbers STOP OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS June 22, 2006 No. 7 87 “ABOUT APPROVAL SYSTEMS AND NUMBERING PLAN FOR PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS” - from +375.
Map of the distribution of area codes between countries. Image: Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) / Wikimedia Commons
Telephone numbering plans for specific countries describe codes for cities and mobile operators, and dialing rules. For example, in Russia, an extract from the register of the Russian system and numbering plan, the number looks like this.
- Country code: +7 (international format for calls from abroad) or 8 (for calls within the country).
- Numbering zone: 3–5 digits. For mobile operators this is 3 digits, for landline numbers in large cities it is also 3, and in small cities it is 4 or 5.
- Subscriber number: 5–7 digits. Mobile numbers and telephone numbers in large cities have 7 digits, in small cities - 5–6.
The structure of Russian numbers, approved by the numbering plan.
Image: Olga Skvortsova / Lifehacker Since there are many subscribers and operators, mobile number ranges sometimes overlap. So, initially MTS numbers began with 91x and 98x, MegaFon with 92x and 93x, and Beeline with 903 and 96x. But with the growth in the number of subscribers, new codes were added, including the same ones.
On the website "Codes.su" the intersections of zones are more clear than in terms of numbering
Now the numbers of MegaFon, Yota, Tele2 and other smaller companies can begin with 999 Code 999, and Beeline, MTS and others with 986 Code 986. So, in addition to the operator code, you need to look at the first digits of the number.
Landline numbers usually have a stricter geographic location, and the ranges do not overlap. But it happens that in small cities, for example, 5- and 6-digit numbers are used. Then a certain number is added before the 5-digit number and used by analogy with 6-digit numbers.
And in large cities there may be several number zones. For example, Moscow has three codes: 495, 498 and 499. They are not tied to regions. But a number with the same code can be serviced by different service providers. For example, for 499 Moscow telephone code - 495 or 499 these are Beeline, MTS, Comkor (Akado Telecom) and Telecom TZ.
Abolition of mobile slavery
In many countries around the world, the linking of a number to an operator was canceled in the early 2000s. In Russia, this became possible only from December 1, 2013. The authorities decided that the phone number is the property of the subscriber, so they allowed MNP (Mobile Number Portability).
That is why searching for a certain combination of numbers in numerous tables of numbering plans is not only a long task, but often useless.
Using digital numbers
VoIP telephony (voice over IP over the Internet) further complicates number identification. Without going into the details of the technology, we can say that here the cheapest possible way is chosen to connect subscribers of different operators, including from different countries, the corresponding proxies and nodes.
If, for example, you receive a call from Skype to your mobile phone, you will see different numbers each time. Accordingly, even if you determine the country code and operator using such a set of numbers, this will say practically nothing about the real location of the subscriber and even about what VoIP service he uses.
