Today, a phone number is no longer limited to its traditional role of connecting people. It has become a unique identifier that plays an important part in a person’s digital footprint.
Remember, only you have ownership of your 10-digit number. There are no two that are alike, similar to an SSN, passport number, tax ID, or the username of an online account. This makes it a critical piece of data that can tie in your personal info.
But what exactly can you discover about someone with just their phone number? Let’s find out.
What Information You Can Reveal With a Phone Number
A surprising amount of information, from basic to sensitive, can come to light when searching someone’s contact number.
We can primarily classify the records linked to your ten digits as:
- Personal Data
This includes your first and last name, nicknames and aliases, age, gender, social media profiles, education and employment details, and even photos.
- Contact Information
Your phone number can reveal addresses, email accounts, and other telephone numbers, not just what you’re using at the moment but also those from the past.
- Financial and Business Details
This can range from assets, bankruptcies, liens, and foreclosures to business-related records, such as trademarks, licenses, and corporate filings.
- Relatives and Associates
The data footprint connected to your contact number can include the names of relatives, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and others associated with you.
- Criminal Records
Traffic violations, sex offender records, arrests, warrants, and court cases could all link back to a person’s phone number.
When Can a Reverse Phone Search Become Useful?
Searching for information using someone’s contact number can be helpful in various instances, both at work and in your personal life.
Here are specific real-life scenarios where you might need to reverse search a number.
- Verifying Information
Let’s say you want to update your client database with valid records or check whether you were given the correct number by an important customer.
Using a reverse number search, you can easily screen public data related to a phone number and confirm the accuracy of the details you have.
- Finding More Information
Sometimes, you may struggle to remember the names of people you meet when you’re out and about. But if you have their phone number, you need not worry.
A number lookup can be equally effective when building lead databases. It can help you find more information about potential leads for demographic profiling.
- Avoiding Bad Actors
Considering the extent of call scams, harassments, and stalkings reported today, practicing caution with unfamiliar numbers is essential.
You can quickly identify an unknown caller and authenticate their identity by searching their number online.
How Can You Search for Information Using Landline or Cell Phone Numbers?
There are several tools you can use to conduct an online search with a phone number.
Here are some of the most effective ones.
- Nuwber
Nuwber is a people search engine that offers reverse search services. Using public records, this platform can provide a comprehensive report on data linked to any of the 325 million contact numbers in its database.
To search for information, you only need to enter a US phone number into the search bar and hit enter. The site will typically display the landline or mobile carrier and location information of its current and previous owners.
As the largest networking platform on the planet, Facebook hosts social media accounts of a significant number of Americans. This makes it the perfect tool to reverse search phone numbers for free.
Once you enter the ten digits you want to search, the platform will list any matching content and profiles.
If you can’t find much information, create an account, log in, and repeat your search.
Currently, LinkedIn has over 1 billion users globally and 230 million in the US.
This may not seem a lot compared to some of the other social platforms. But LinkedIn is a professional networking site where many users list their contact details to explore business and career opportunities. So, it’s an invaluable source for searching numbers of professional contacts.
LinkedIn also has excellent search facilities. If you sign up with an account, you can even access search filters to speed up the process.
According to statistics, 5.9 million searches take place on Google each minute.
The popularity of this search engine is mostly attributed to its powerful algorithms and indexing capabilities. Being a free search tool certainly helps, too.
While social media platforms like Facebook are limited to content on their own platforms, Google isn’t. It can sift through trillions of web pages on the internet to find results matching a phone number.
- Truecaller
Truecaller is a simple solution to use when you only need a name linked to a number. It’s a caller ID app available for Android and Apple cell phones and works mainly with the help of user-generated data.
Apart from identifying incoming calls and text messages, the app can screen and block mobile phone numbers flagged by users as related to scams or spam.
Truecaller is generally free to use, although a paid version is also available without ads and with some extra features.
To Conclude
Whether you want to identify a mystery caller, avoid scam phone calls, or simply learn more about someone, a mobile or landline phone number can be a useful piece of data that can direct you to a person’s digital footprint.
The data you can find with a reverse phone lookup can vary from basic details to those of a sensitive nature and can include personal, financial, business, and contact information, names of family members and associates, as well as criminal records.
To search a number online, Nuwber, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, and Truecaller are excellent tools that can uncover a variety of data.
FAQ
How can I use a reverse phone search to avoid scams?
A reverse number lookup can be quite useful when you want to verify someone’s identity and avoid unwanted calls.
Remember, call scammers can disguise themselves as the IRS, police, banks, insurers, medical service providers, charities, or any other legitimate organization to commit data and financial swindles.
For example, identity thieves could imitate a bank official to trick you into divulging passwords and other details of your bank accounts in the guise of verifying your information.
You can avoid such threats by conducting a quick reverse search to identify who a phone number belongs to.
What type of data can I legally access using a reverse number search?
You can retrieve and use any information termed as public data without fear of legal repercussions. This includes personal data its owner has voluntarily disclosed on public platforms, such as what they’ve posted on social media and public forums, without limiting such content to a group of people.
Information made publicly available by government agencies also comes under this category. It can range from property ownership details to certain criminal records.
When there are legal limitations, search platforms often specify terms of use for their services. People search sites, for instance, usually don’t provide data for employment background checks.
How accurate is information linked to a cell phone number?
The accuracy of data depends on the platform you use. Search engines like Google, for example, don’t cross-check the information they list on their search results pages.
People search sites, on the other hand, carry out a number of verifications to ensure they provide accurate and up to date data.
However, this doesn’t entirely eliminate the risk of inaccuracies. For instance, when several people have owned the same number at different points in time, it’s easy to mistake the phone number’s current owner’s identity with someone who owned it in the past.
Therefore, verify data and rely on your best judgment when using public records.
Is there any danger in giving out my phone number to strangers?
Many people don’t think twice about giving away their contact information to unknown parties. Some are compelled to do so for professional and business reasons.
However, when combined with other personal details, your phone number can be incredibly valuable to bad actors. We aren’t just talking about telemarketing spam calls here.
Scammers can steal your identity and target you and others for various schemes with the help of your phone number. In SIM card swapping, for example, fraudsters could take over your number, hack into online accounts that use SMS verifications, sell your data on the dark web, and commit financial fraud by assuming your phone identity.
What can I do to prevent phone-related identity theft?
Keeping your personal information private is a critical step for safeguarding yourself against identity theft and financial scams. Especially avoid disclosing your phone number on public platforms and never use it for online registrations. If you must, for any reason, then provide a secondary number instead of your personal one.
In addition, be wary of security features that use security questions or send messages with one-time passwords. Two-factor authentication and biometric verifications are always better options.
If you ever encounter suspicious activities or think you’ve fallen victim to a call scam, ensure you inform the police and the Federal Trade Commission.
About the author
Chief Technical Officer at Nuwber
With nearly two decades of experience in the IT industry, Eugene possesses comprehensive knowledge across his professional field, including in data management, data protection, and information search. Through his writing, he aims to provide valuable insights and practical advice on how to safely explore the online environment and leverage digital tools to enhance people’s lives.
Related Posts
