Owning a phone means you have to pick up calls and receive messages; after all, that’s the point. Unfortunately, some or maybe even many will be calls from unknown callers, spammers, scammers, and cybercriminals.
On the other hand, some of those calls will be from well-meaning individuals trying to reach you with a number you don’t recognize. The challenge is that there is no way to tell just by looking at the number calling you – if there’s a number.
You cannot tell who is calling you just by looking at the number, but there are more effective ways. The oldest method of identifying an unknown caller is dialling codes after the call has dropped.
However, there are newer and much more effective methods for checking out who is calling you. These include third-party reverse phone lookup apps and websites that allow you to run a check on phone numbers.
Why Would Random Strange Numbers Be Calling You?
There are different reasons why a strange number might be calling you, including those with good and bad intentions. We cannot say outrightly that these calls are from telemarketers and people looking to scam you. However, it would be safe to say that a good percentage of them are. In 2021, for instance, an estimate of over seventy-one spam calls was made, representing a 30% increase from previous years.
Although there is legislation recently signed in to stop them, they are still happening and will likely continue happening. It would be much better if these calls were mere nuisances, but they can also be dangerous and life-altering. For instance, Americans have lost nearly $30 billion from scam calls in 2020 alone. These scammers typically use programmed robots to dial several numbers to make contact randomly.
If you decide to pick up the call, you are a potential target – whether you fall for the scam or not. That is because they know your number is active by picking up the call and will keep calling. The bulk of the work is on you to protect yourself; that includes first checking out who is calling you. One good way to do that is to check out who called you using a phone lookup service like WhoCallMe.
Simple Ways to Know Your Strange Caller
You can identify the person behind the strange number without picking up the call. These are simple, cost-effective ways to know who calls you and whether they are genuine.
Google contains billions of records and information about individuals, which you can find by searching for a phone number. Googling the number calling you is the easiest, cheapest, and most handy way of identifying the caller. There is a high chance of finding information related to the number when you Google-search it.
Google has online lists of reported scam numbers; if the number is a scam, you will surely find it. Meanwhile, since the search is free, you have nothing to lose, even if the search yields no result.
Use a Phone Lookup Service
A reverse phone number lookup service is a more effective method of checking out who is calling you. These websites and apps allow you to search phone numbers and provide information concerning their owners. This method is more effective because of the categories of information you can get, from names to addresses to much deeper information. One of the best phone lookup services is WhoCallMe, a free, top-rated call service that helps identify unknown callers.
WhoCallMe is one of the best because it offers for free all the benefits that some others will offer at a fee. By running a search on this website, you can find your caller’s first name, last name, and residential and work address.
You can also search deeper to find their friends and families and background information such as their criminal records. Moreover, you can get your required information about someone by only checking an area code on the page of Phone Number Directory on WhoCallMe. All searches on the website are 100% anonymous and confidential, the site is easy to use, and searches don’t take long.
Dial *69
Caller ID is a standard feature on most phones today; thus, a phone number should appear when there’s a call. However, scammers and cybercriminals have their way of hiding their number or spoofing it. While technology helps you identify unknown callers, it also, unfortunately, makes it possible for scammers to spoof phone numbers. What this means is that they trick their caller ID into displaying a phone number that looks familiar.
The goal of ID spoofing is to make you more curious and willing to pick up the call. If the caller ID is hidden, dialling *69 can help unhide it, but this only works on our most recent call. Also, the call must have been made no longer than thirty minutes.
Should You Return Calls from Unknown Numbers?
It could happen that you were not near your phone when it rang, so you missed your call. Then, you check your phone to find that you don’t recognize the number that called you. You might want to call the number back to find out who called you, but that may not be the right decision. Returning calls from unknown numbers can be dangerous, even if it seems like the most direct way of knowing who called you.
Below are some of the dangers associated with returning calls from unknown numbers:
- You may be returning a scammer’s call looking to dupe you of your hard-earned money. By doing so, you are letting the scammer know that your number is legitimate and active; you could become a target;
- Sometimes, the missed call was not an actual call but an attempt to get you to call back. If you fall for it, they launch a ruse on you, depending on how much information about you they have;
- Scammers also look up phone numbers to gather as much information about the owner as possible.
Conclusion
The first instinct for many people when an unknown number is calling is to pick up the call. If they miss the call, they call back – it is the easiest way to know who’s calling. However, that may not be the best option as you may be setting yourself up as a target for cyber fraud. A better option is to check out who is calling you first using any of these simple methods we’ve listed.
