How to Track a Cell Phone Number

Find phone numbers the free way

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Call that phone number. Explain to whoever answers the phone that you received a call from this number. Politely ask who they are. If they tell you who they are, you don't need to find out anymore! If they don't answer what you asked, try one of the methods below.

Try asking a friend to call or use their phone number. If you have called repeatedly and no one picks up the call, the other party may be rejecting your call. Calling from a friend's phone number or a pay phone can help rule out this possibility.

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Search public databases. If you don't know a cell phone number, it may be public information. Search by white pages in the US or use a search engine to find public databases in your own area.

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Use search engines. The owner of the phone number or the organization involved may have posted the number on a personal or corporate website.

Enter the area code of the phone number you are looking for. Try different formats, such as XXX-XXX-XXXX and (XXX) XXXXXXX.

If your first search is unsuccessful, try a few different search engines.

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Search for a social networking site. Enter the phone number in the search bar of the social networking site. Many personal Facebook users have privacy settings that still allow their "private" phone numbers to be searched publicly.

If you suspect it's someone you've dealt with online, look for a site where you chatted or provided information to them, such as on the site's forums.

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Use in-depth web search tools. Also known as "deep web" search engines, they are designed to find results that popular engines miss.

Deep web tools are often designed specifically, so you'll need to find one that's useful for searching. Try searching (on a regular search engine) for an index or guide to deep web search engines.

Pay for phone number recognition

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Get started with a free cell phone number lookup service. If you've tried the free methods (you should), you've probably found ads for these services. Start by "just" trying out the free services; they are often ineffective but are an easy first step.

Don't sign up for any free trials that ask for your credit card number or other personal information.

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Carefully evaluate the services. Many "cell phone subscription database" websites that charge a fee to perform searches will try to scam you or give you information that is not useful.

Enter a wrong phone number or a familiar phone number to check accuracy. Search for a few random number strings (in the correct phone number format). If the search still returns "results", especially GPS locations, it may be a scam or a prank site. Similarly, you can enter your own phone number and see if the results are accurate.

Look for reviews about the company. An online search of the company name may reveal complaints from defrauded customers. For a more official perspective, in the US you can search the better business bureau's table of contents for detailed records of company responses to customer complaints.

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Pay for the service only after you've tried all the free options. These sites often run the same searches you did when trying the free methods, so paying is highly unlikely to yield new results and leave your information stolen or your credit card stolen. overcharge.

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Hire a personal investigator. Even after you've tried all of the above options, you probably still don't have the information you need. Hiring a personal investigator is an expensive option, and you will need to research a few options before choosing an investigator. You need to have detailed information about the terms before hiring anyone. A refund policy is often available in case the investigator cannot find the information you are looking for, but ask about this first.

Find an unknown or blocked phone number

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Check call logs or caller ID. The mobile phone will automatically identify most incoming calls. If you are using a landline (desktop phone), contact your phone provider to activate caller ID.

Consult your phone's user guide or contact the manufacturer if you don't know how to check your call log for recently dialed phone numbers on your cell phone.

There are many ways to bypass caller ID or even use tricks to display the wrong phone number. If the caller ID check fails, move on to the next options.

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Request a "call return" service. Contact your phone provider and purchase "call return" or "last call return" service. This service may require an initial fee and/or a fee each time you use the service.

Call return codes vary depending on country and network provider (and may not be available in all areas). Ask your code provider or search the internet for "call return code for [your country]".

In the United States, this service is *69 (after the code used in that country).

After the call you want to track ends, enter the call return code and you will receive a voice message reading that caller's phone number, with the option to call back.

In some regions, automatic callbacks are available. Fees may still apply.

Warning : in some regions (like California), callback will only redial the last incoming call without giving you the phone number.

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Activate the "call trap" or "call tracking" function. If you receive repeated harassing calls from an unknown number, contact your phone provider and ask if these services are available:

Call traps : After requesting call traps, record the dates and times you receive harassing phone calls for the next few weeks (as long as your provider requires it). When you report this information to the phone company, they will identify the harassing number and report it to law enforcement.

Call tracking : When this service is enabled, pressing the call tracking code immediately after a harassing call will send the phone number to law enforcement. (This code is *57 in the US; your provider will tell you which code to use if you're in another country.)

Call trapping is usually free, while call tracking may cost extra. If call trapping is not available or if the harassment is more severe, you may be able to persuade your telecommunications service to provide you with free call tracking services.

Avoid being scammed

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Evaluate payment services carefully. "Cell phone directory lookup" websites are notorious for scamming customers, either by not providing any useful information for the money they spent or by intentionally stealing their credit card information. client.

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Look for reviews and complaints about the company online. In the United States, the better business bureau website is a useful place to search beyond typical search engine queries.

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Never provide payment information to an untrustworthy site. Don't enter a credit card number if your browser warns you that the site is not secure, if the site asks you to pay using a third-party site you've never heard of, or if the site seems "sketchy." and unprofessional.

This includes "free trials" that say your card won't be charged.

Try to find a service where you paid using PayPal or another well-known third-party system.

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Never enter unnecessary personal information. Your social security number and similar personal information are never required for a legitimate phone lookup service.

Track cell phone location

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Track your family's location. Any smartphone or regular phone with a GPS chip embedded can be tracked. Here are some options for tracking your family's location at all times:

Contact your cell phone provider to ask if they offer a family tracking plan for an additional monthly fee. This can also be accompanied by parental control over children.

Install a GPS tracking app on your family's smartphone. Some apps allow users to voluntarily share their location with friends, while others are intended for parents to track children. Check your phone's app store or research online to find the right app for your needs.

Install link [1] on regular phone. AccuTracking is one of the few third-party location tracking browsers that works on feature phones. Take a look at the website to see which phone models will work and information about monthly fees.

If you are trying to track someone's location without their permission, install a hidden app on their phone and use it to hide the tracking app. Additionally, you can place the tracking app in a hidden folder on their phone to minimize the chance of it being found.

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Install an app to track your own phone. If you're worried about losing or having your phone stolen, there are many apps designed to let you track your phone's GPS location from your computer and/or prevent thieves from using your phone.

Look through your phone's app store or search online to find a tracking or anti-theft app that works on your device.

AccuTracking is one of the few services that can track regular phones (GPS enabled).

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Find lost phone. If you have lost your phone and did not previously install any tracking software, you still have a chance to locate it:

Many smartphone manufacturers can automatically locate your phone. Call customer service or search online for instructions on your phone model. If you have access to a computer, you may be able to track your phone's location and/or set it to play a loud sound periodically.

Some tracking apps (like Android's "Plan B") can be downloaded remotely to your phone from your computer. Make sure you do this before your phone runs out of battery.

Your mobile service provider may provide GPS location for a fee, remotely activating the GPS chip. This is probably your only option for locating a regular phone.

Micah Soto

Update 30 October 2023