Your phone is ringing, and “No Caller ID” pops up on the screen. You have no idea who is behind this mysterious call, and whether to decline it or to answer it.

Does this happen a lot in your everyday life? If so, you’ve come to the right place. This post will help you unmask the caller ID and find out the identity of the unknown caller.

What Is “Caller ID”?

Caller ID is a service that allows a telephone user to see the phone number and sometimes the name of the person calling them before answering the call. When a call is placed, the caller’s phone number and name (if available) is sent to the telephone network and then to the called party’s phone. The called party’s phone can then display this information on the screen or announce it audibly, allowing the user to decide whether or not to answer the call.

How to Reveal the Hidden Number?

Some people may choose to hide their number either forprivacy concerns or with the intention to conduct illegal activities like harassment and scams. To do so, all they need to do is to enter*67 before the number of the recipient. 

To reveal the hidden number, you can dial *69 (the call return feature). It allows you to automatically dial the phone number of the last incoming call you received, even if the call was marked as private. This service is usually provided for free by most landline and mobile phone providers. It is recommended to use the call return feature within 30 minutes of the last incoming call, as some providers may restrict the time frame during which this service can be used.

After your dialing, some providers may send a computer-generated voice that tells you the number as well as the option to place a call. Other providers call back the private number and don’t provide you with the number. Please note that many phone service providers charge extra fee for *69 calls. Also, not every phone company provides this service. 

How to Find Out Detailed Info About the Caller? 

You can always enter the phone number in search engines like Google to find out if there is any useful information regarding the identity of the person. However, it takes significant time to sift through a multitude of web pages. Most importantly, the information you can get is often limited.

Use a reverse phone lookup tool 

To get more precise and detailed information, professional people search tools can be particularly helpful. Their databases compile information from a wide variety of licensed sources that may not be available through basic internet searches.

Here are some best professional people search sites:  

Option 1: Intelius

Intelius searches for phone number records information for millions of people across the United States. The report you get after running a search may include the name, address, social media profiles and even photos of the owner.

Step 1: Head to the Intelius official website, enter the phone number and click SEARCH:

Step 2: Click Confirm. Then your search for the number will be initiated, in a few moments you will be able to access a detailed report.

Step 3: Click the View report button.

And your report may look like this:

Option 2: Social Catfish

Social Catfish is also a good choice! Searching over 200 billion records, it can help you uncover the identity of the caller. In lots of cases involving scams, people use VOIP numbers to hide their location. Social Catfish will allow you to see if a phone is really registered to a person as well as if it is a VOIP phone line. 

Step 1: Go to Social Catfish Reverse Phone Lookup page.

Step 2: Enter the phone number in the search bar and click Search.

Step 3: Wait a second till the full report comes out, with all the details of the owner, from basic information to social platform photos.

Option 3: Spokeo

Spokeo is another trustworthy tool for people search. A reverse phone lookup with Spokeo allows you to search records associated with a landline or cell phone number, so that you can gain insight and quickly identify who’s calling or texting you. Spokeo’s Reverse Phone Search sifts through billions of phone directory and white page records to look for and summarize the owner’s name and other details into an easy-to-understand report.

Step 1: Go to Spokeo phone lookup page.

Step 2: Type in a landline or mobile phone number and click SEARCH NOW.

As one of the fastest services available, Spokeo provides reverse phone lookup results in seconds, providing personal details like name, location, phone carrier, social media profiles, and more. If the phone number has been previously reported for spam, then the records will show you what other people have to say about calls from that number.

So this post introduces you to different types of tools to identify unknown callers. You can unmask their phone number, get to know their name, address, family members and even social accounts depending on the method you choose. Hopefully this post can solve your problem, and if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.