Periodically, notifications about missed calls appear on my phone and it’s always interesting to find out who called, and most importantly, whether I need to call back. It’s one thing if a friend or acquaintance simply changed their phone number, and quite another thing when polling services, spammers, or even scammers call you.
Fortunately, today it is not difficult to identify a caller by phone number. This can be done absolutely legally and free of charge. Let's look at the most effective and efficient ways to get information about a person by phone number.
We are looking for a phone number through the search engines Yandex and Google
To begin with, I recommend checking who owns the phone number using a simple query in search engines. Any service is suitable for this, with Yandex and Google considered the most popular. This method will help you quickly find out whether the number is registered to any organization, or whether the callers are scammers.
Enter a search query in the following formats to find out whose phone number it is:
- 79*********;
- +79*********;
- 8 (9**) ***-**-**.
Please note that you need to search for all three options in turn. Usually, when filling out contact information on websites, phone numbers are entered in this form, so the search will be most effective.
Take a close look at the first page of search results. This is where you can most often find useful information specifically for your request: official websites of organizations, links to advertisements posted by the user, data on social networks, etc.
If the search did not bring results and you could not find out who owns the number, do not be upset. After all, there are other worthy methods that I will discuss in this article.
We check the number using online services
There are specialized online services that collect information about callers based on reviews from other users. Data about scammers’ phones, advertisements, as well as “strange calls”, such as silence on the phone, are regularly posted on the Internet by users on such sites. You can also leave your review here.
Online services like this can be very useful because people often tell a detailed story about the call they received. So, one day I found a story about “bank employees” (actually scammers) calling me, exactly as described by another person. The phone numbers were the same.
The most popular sites are:
- mysmsbox.ru;
- who-calling.rf;
- zvonili.com;
- ktozvonil.ru;
- hcpeople.ru.
All services are built on the same principle. Simply put the phone number in the search bar and click the “Find” button. After a few seconds of waiting, you will be presented with the results.
Such sites mainly provide information about various organizations, as well as scammers. If the number belongs to a private person, then most likely there will be no information about him. In this case, proceed to the next step.
We identify the caller via instant messengers
Well-known instant messengers such as Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram are excellent tools to find out who called a phone number. The reason for this is the popularity of applications, today they are used by a huge number of people around the world.
All messengers have default settings that allow any user to view the uploaded avatar, as well as the profile data that the owner of the number indicates about himself. And although you can check a box in the settings so that information about you is visible only to the list of your contacts, few people know about this and use this function. Therefore, most often this method is the most effective and provides the necessary information.
So, to “break through” a person through instant messengers, do the following:
- Add an unknown number to your smartphone's phone book.
- In the settings, select the “Accounts and synchronization” section, then add Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as other applications as desired.
- After synchronization, the selected programs will have access to the phone book, and you will be able to search for the desired contact.
The obvious advantage of this method is that the owner of the number will not know that they were looking for him. As a result, you will receive a photo of the caller, as well as his name indicated in the profile. If you want to find out more information about the person you found, you can use image search in Yandex or similar applications that allow you to search for people by photo.
Terms of service
The service operates throughout Russia and is available to both individuals and legal entities. It provides the ability to identify intentionally hidden numbers of all operators for local, long-distance and international calls. The service does not guarantee results when the subscriber is in international roaming, as well as for incoming calls from a landline telephone.
Price
The cost of the service depends on the region. For example, in St. Petersburg, the subscription fee for a prepaid payment system is 5.84 rubles/day. For subscribers on the postpaid payment system, the monthly cost of the service is 152.4 rubles/month. For Yekaterinburg the cost is 5.08 rubles/day. with a prepaid system and 152.54 rubles/month. with postpaid.
Residents of Rostov-on-Don can connect a meter for 6.61 rubles/day. or 198.31 rub./month. respectively.
You can find out the exact cost for your region from your operator. As a general rule, the subscription fee is debited when connecting to the service and then from 0:00 to 4:00.
Determine who called using mobile applications
Another way to identify a person by phone number is to do this through number databases posted on the Internet. However, the likelihood that any important information will be found at the desired number is extremely low. Most often, the maximum you can count on is information about the region where the SIM card was purchased, as well as the name of the cellular operator. Agree, this information is not very useful. Therefore, it is not necessary to directly search for “merged” number databases.
The easiest way in this case is to download a mobile application with built-in automatic caller ID (Caller ID). It is the developers of such programs that usually have the most complete databases.
Here are three mobile applications that will help you identify a caller by phone number:
Don't pick up the phone
The Don't Pick Up program has good reviews and helps protect against spam calls. You can leave your own comments (both positive and negative) about phone numbers, as well as read information provided by other users. The mobile application allows you to set up notifications about unwanted numbers or block them completely. For this purpose, there are several protection options for the user to choose from. "Don't Pick Up the Phone" can be downloaded for free. The advantage is that the program works even without Internet access.
Iekon: caller ID, calls and contacts
The Ayekon mobile application has a built-in caller ID. When there is an incoming spam call, a red color and a text notification with “SPAM” appears on the screen. Unwanted numbers can be blocked. In addition, the program automatically adds photos from social networks to your contacts from the phone book, thereby making it more colorful and easier to use. The disadvantages include a large number of advertisements, long registration, and the need to purchase a premium status to fully use the application.
Getcontact
Getcontact is easy to use because the interface is simple and intuitive. Caller ID works based on data obtained from other users' phone books, so you can find out what other people's phone numbers are. The application works for free, but it is possible to increase the search limit by purchasing a premium package. The advantage of Getcontact is that the program recognizes not only spam calls and names of organizations, but also the telephone numbers of individuals not listed in your phone book.
By installing one or several mobile applications with Caller ID, you can find out more information about incoming calls and protect yourself from annoying spammers.
"Megaphone"
It boasts no less variety of codes. The old prefixes of this operator start from 920 to 928 depending on the region, and the new ones - from 929 to 939. But that’s not all, MegaFon subscribers can also get 902, 904, 908, 950, 951 and 999.
As for the territorial reference of popular prefixes, it is as follows: 925, 926 - Moscow and the Moscow region, 921 - the North-Western part of the country, 922 - the Urals, 920 - the Central part and the Volga region, 923 - Siberia, 924 - the Far East, and 929 can be found everywhere.
Checking through the ad site (Avito)
Another effective way to “get through” a person by phone number is to look for information about him in advertisements on Avito. Most of us have used this site to sell items that we no longer need. At the same time, the resource shows information not only about active advertisements posted by the user on the site, but also about completed sales. In addition, you can see the name of the owner of the number, as well as the approximate area of the city from where it is proposed to pick up the displayed goods. Most often, this location coincides with the user's work or home address.
So, to search by phone number on a well-known ad platform, there is a special service called “Avita mirror”. To find a person using it, follow these steps:
- Go to the service website: mirror.bullshit.agency/search_by_phone. If the browser does not open the link, use any VPN program that changes the IP address of your computer. More detailed information about VPNs can be found in the article on our website about VPNs.
- In the “Number” column, indicate the phone number you need to find.
- Click on the “Search in advertisements on Avita” button.
- Study the results.
The service should return all active and completed sales listings associated with the specified number. At the same time, I noticed that the service does not always work accurately. Having several closed transactions on Avito, I did not find any information about them using my number. However, after I entered my friend’s number into the search window, the service correctly showed all the advertisements she posted on the site (including completed ones).
And although this method of punching a number does not always give a 100% result, I still recommend considering it as one of the possible tools for searching for information.
Search by phone number through online banking
This method only works if you and the person calling you use the same bank. This could be not only Sberbank, but also VTB, Alfa-Bank or any other. The main thing is that you have access to your online bank. There is no need to transfer money.
To search for a caller, follow these steps:
- Log in to your personal account on the bank’s official website or mobile application.
- Select the “Money transfer by phone number” section.
- In the window that appears, enter the phone number of the caller.
- You can specify any value as the transfer amount, for example 1 or 100 rubles. You will not need to confirm the transfer, so the money will remain with you.
- The window that appears will contain information about the account number and its owner.
The above method helps determine a person’s first and patronymic, as well as the first letter of the last name. However, if the specified phone number is not in the financial structure’s database, or, more simply, the subscriber does not use the services of your bank, then the result will be zero.
other methods
The Google Play store has a number of applications that allow you to identify and even block incoming calls from unknown persons. An example of such an application is Whoscall.
The service is extremely popular - more than 50 million downloads. The functionality is implemented as succinctly as possible. The application recognizes hidden numbers and blocks annoying spam and telemarketing.
Whoscall works using network technology, with more than 1 billion numbers in its database. The application matches the caller with its database of verified users and gives you information about the caller. Useful service functions:
- Block numbers starting with certain numbers - for example, the number 7 or 380. Allows you to block intrusive calls from abroad.
- Blocking all private and national numbers.
- Block calls from any callers not included in your contact list.
- Blocking advertising messages based on certain criteria (words or phrases).
- Blocking a number specified manually.
This solution works great if your goal is to block callers who call you from unknown numbers without caller ID. The application is relevant in situations where annoying calls come from different subscribers, but from the same region or country (for example, from Germany). In this case, using a simple filter, you can protect yourself from unwanted conversations.
How to avoid falling into the hands of scammers offering information by phone number for money
Every year, more and more people find it necessary to first find out more information about who owns an unfamiliar phone number before picking up the phone or calling back. This is the right decision, since the callers may be scammers. However, danger awaits at the search stage.
There are many advertisements on the Internet offering to provide detailed information about a person by his phone number. This could be photographs, passport details, residential address, place of work, etc. At the same time, anyone can obtain information; simply transfer the specified amount for services. Do not be fooled by such advertisements, in most cases they are posted by scammers! After transferring the money, the attackers will disappear without providing any information. Therefore, I advise you to save your time, money and nerves, and not contact persons offering paid search services.
In addition, the methods listed in the article for searching for the owner by phone number allow you to obtain information completely free of charge. Now, knowing them, you can “break through” any unknown call simply and legally.
Another thing is when unwanted calls come in too often and are accompanied by threats or blackmail, conducting an independent investigation may be impractical and even dangerous. In this case, you must immediately contact law enforcement agencies and tell about what happened. You can also block an annoying subscriber. This is very easy to do, read the article on our website on how to blacklist a number on an Android phone.
Is it possible to hack WhatsApp or Viber?
Discussion: 2 comments
- Vova:
09.22.2020 at 11:12Thank you. There was a short call and they hung up. I didn’t dare call back, my ex thought. I installed the identifier from Yandex and it showed a financial company.
Answer
- Who called:
02/23/2021 at 16:27
There were also unwanted calls, all sorts of surveys, Sberbank security service, and so on. Such services are necessary, otherwise it is not always clear who called
Answer
