How do you know where a phone number comes from? The 4 best ways to find your owner

Posted by La Dépêche Tech September 24, 2020 July 28, 2021

It's never reassuring to receive a call from an unknown number. We hesitate to answer, we immediately think of the worst… The ideal would be to know the identity of the owner and if possible the reasons for his call. We then hope that this person leaves a message to find out more, but this is rarely the case. Here are some tips on how to find out where a phone number comes from and who owns it.

Internet: the 1st way to find out where a phone number comes from

One of the first tricks to find the owner of a phone number is to use Google. Simply enter the phone number in the search bar, remembering to put the area code correctly. Then, analyze the results displayed, the owner of the number may often use his number on the net, he may have a website where his phone is listed.. it will then be easy to identify him. If that doesn't work, try without the callsign, but the results may be more numerous and take longer to analyze.

Social networks: the 2nd method to find the owner of a telephone number

Almost all the best-known social networks require their users to give them their personal information (surname, first name, address, date of birth, etc.) and the telephone number is often listed. Many people are present on WhatsApp, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn, for example. There is a strong probability that the author of the intrusive call you received is on one of these networks where his number appears.

To use this trick, go to the search space specific to each of these social networks and enter the telephone number in question. You may find the one you are looking for.

Reverse search: the 3rd trick to find out where a phone number comes from

Comment savoir d’où vient un numéro de téléphone ? Les 4 meilleurs moyens pour trouver son propriétaire

Some sites specialize in reverse phone number search. This is a service that gathers all the public numbers that it has managed to find, in a database. When you type in a phone number, if it is in their database, you will find the owner of the phone. This service is often free and very fast. It is a kind of free reverse directory. If you come across a good site, these files will be up to date and you'll be more likely to find what you're looking for.

However, this technique has its limits because many people do not display their phone number publicly. But this is the case of professionals, who need to give the public means to contact them. But it is often them who harass you on the phone without even knowing you.

Asking for help from the telephone company: the solution of last resort

The last trick to find out where a phone number comes from is to call your phone company directly. For this technique to work, there are several conditions that must be met. First of all, the number must be national because if it is an international number, the mission will quickly prove to be impossible. In addition, you are going to have to provide evidence that finding the owner of this number is really important. This is particularly the case if you are faced with real harassment or a scam, for example. If the case is serious, the operator may go so far as to seize the authorities.

How to prevent this kind of problem?

There are several ways to simply prevent a stranger from calling you. You can already remove your number from directories like the white pages. There is also the bloctel system put in place by the government which puts financial pressure on companies that canvass you without your agreement. However, the most radical solution is to get a call blocker that will filter phone numbers even before your phone rings. Some allow only the numbers present on a list entered beforehand to enter or, on the contrary, all calls to enter except those present on a list configured beforehand. This solution is specific to fixed telephones. For laptops, there are several dedicated applications.