A strange number calls, without any CNAM, and you don’t know whether to answer it or not. This hesitation is nothing new for everyone. You might fear that it is a scam or a product promotion that keeps challenging your patience. But you definitely don’t want to miss an important call.

It’s time to throw this uncertainty away. In this tutorial, we will show you how to identify the caller’s CNAM and find out more about them.

Why is it important to identify CNAM?

CNAM (caller name) is a feature that shows the caller’s name, company name, and address on the recipient’s phone. When the phone call arrives, your carrier looks for the caller ID in its CNAM database and delivers the matching information to your phone.

Sounds very convenient, but not every phone call comes with a CNAM. Because the feature is only available in the U.S. and certain portions of Canada, and the database may lack maintenance.

A CNAM will tell you where this call comes from. You certainly don’t want to miss an important call from some legal officer, but you should also avoid scams that might cost you money and personal info. To uncover the unknown caller, here we have some handy tricks for you.

Method 1: Search on search engines and social networks

The easiest way to look up the caller’s CNAM is to search for it on search engines like Google. It’s easy to find a match when the phone number is already put online – whether it is on a company website or flagged as a scam. Just enter the phone number into the search box and see if anything pops up.

If the phone call is official, like from a company or a public institution, the search is normally fast and fruitful. But if it is from an individual, searching online might not give you much information.

Another place to go is social networks. Try searching for the phone number on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to see if anything pops up. Some people might disable finding them through phone numbers, but it’s still worth a try.

No luck with the pure searching? You can try a CNAM lookup tool.

Method 2: Use CNAM lookup tools

An efficient way to identify a caller is to use reverse phone lookup tools. Because they have access to public records and information from multiple other available sources that might not appear through common online searches. Listed below are some of the best phone reverse phone number lookup sites:

1. Intelius

Intelius is one of the leading people search services that supports reverse phone number lookup. Whether it’s a mobile phone number or a landline, the tool can help you find all the available information associated with the phone number. The report you get after running a search may include the owner’s name, address history, age, phone type and carrier, and more.

1. Go to Intelius.
2. Enter the phone number and click SEARCH.
   
3. Follow the on-screen instructions and wait a few moments as Intelius searches through its data sources. When finished, click the VIEW RESULTS button to unlock the report.
4. Enter your name and email address to view the basic information related to the phone number, which may include the carrier, line type, and location.
   
5. To unlock the full report and view the potential owner’s information, you’ll need to purchase a membership plan.
   

The above image is from a sample Intelius report. Actual Intelius reports may contain more or less information.

2. Instant Checkmate

Want to know more about the phone number other than a CNAM? Instant Checkmate is your must-go place. Just enter a phone number and it will gather related information from multiple online sources and put them into a detailed report for you.

1. Go to Instant Checkmate.
2. Enter the phone number into the search box and click SEARCH NOW.
   
3. When the search process finishes, click OPEN REPORT and purchase a plan that suits you. Then you’ll see a detailed report that might include the name, photos, and social media pages associated with the number.
   

3. BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a powerful people search engine. Its database contains billions of records and is updated regularly. Simply enter a phone number, and you’ll get a report that may include information like the potential owner’s name, address, social networks, and family background (when available).

1. Go to the BeenVerified Phone Lookup page.
2. Enter the phone number and click Search.
   
3. Wait as BeenVerified searches through its data sources. Once finished, you’ll receive a comprehensive report about the caller.
   

Method 3: Unmask the number with TrapCall

If you are annoyed by unwanted phone calls, TrapCall could come in handy. It is a spam call blocker app that reveals blocked or unknown numbers. But it can do more than that.

Download the app on iOS or Android and create an account, then you can try these notable features:

• Automatically block spams
• Blacklist harassing callers
• Record incoming calls

This is how to do a CNAM lookup. Once you get enough information about the mysterious caller, it’s easy to decide whether to ring back or block the phone call. We hope this tutorial can give you the certainty of doing it!

All product names, logos, brands, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.