Reverse Phone Number Lookups: Everything You Need to Know
22nd August 2017
Nothing is more annoying than a ringing phone from an unknown phone call.
However, reverse call lookup apps can take the guesswork out of those calls. The ability to do a reverse phone number lookup can quickly reveal if that call was from someone you want to call back, or if it telemarketer, robocall, or prank caller.
Reverse phone number lookups help to identify the name and address of callers behind unfamiliar phone numbers calls. However, reverse phone number lookups cannot help you identify the caller behind blocked, unknown, or no caller ID calls, as those numbers are masked by either phone spoofing or dialing *67. Click here to learn more about how to unmask blocked calls.
If you are simply looking to identify who is calling from an unblocked number, you can use reverse phone lookups to find out the person’s name and address by using reverse phone lookup on apps such as TrapCall.
In a few simple steps, TrapCall offers the easiest and most accurate phone number lookups with all of its subscription plans, and, as we will explain, the value is in the call data.
If you Google or search your app store for “reverse lookup” or “phone number lookup,” you will find no shortage of apps or online directories to choose from. Some reverse phone number lookup services are advertised as free or paid. You will find that the free services are rarely 100% free; and if they are, the data is of such poor quality, that it provides very little value to truly identify the person behind their blocked call.
Understanding Reverse Phone Number Lookups
In order to perform a successful reverse phone number lookup, it’s important to first understand the factors behind the call data. Let’s start with the anatomy of a phone number:
A U.S. phone number is made up of three components:
Area Code – A three-digit number regulated by NANPA (North American Number Plan Administration) that identifies the originating state or region within a state
Prefix – A three-digit number that originally referred to a specific part of a phone company’s switching system. Today, it can be used to more accurately locate a phone number’s locale
Line Number – The last four digits of a phone number which specifically identify a unique line associated with that number.
Many free reverse phone number lookup services or apps will simply yield results based on the area code and prefix to identify a phone number’s originating location. So a search for 203-531-XXXX would yield results as Greenwich, Connecticut, and nothing else. There may be a small value to having that knowledge, but getting a name, address and other identifying data such as email address or company name are probably much more valuable. It is also more likely what you are hoping to find when you do a phone number search.
Some of the better reverse phone number lookup tools use public data sources to power their number lookup services. These can provide better results, potentially including names, cities, and states for reverse phone lookups, but they still usually lack enough granularity to help you make decisions about whether or not to call the person back.
The best reverse phone number lookup apps use a blend of crowdsourced data, public databases, and information from social media services and the web to turn phone numbers into interactive telephone directories — they are like magic phone books.
For example, TrapCall can access data from public and private databases, crowdsourced data, social networks, and more, to package reverse phone number lookup results with incredibly detailed data. An unmasked phone number such as 908-950-5432 could yield:
Bob Smith
Accountant
LVX Accounting Corporation
48 Boulder Way
Edison, New Jersey 08817
Email: [email protected]
Facebook Profile: Bob.SmithX67777
Twitter: @BobSmithX67777
The Best Reverse Phone Number Lookup Solution
Reverse phone lookup tools are useful to help us understand who is calling on either landline or mobile phones. However, because phone numbers today are portable, simply relying on an area code and prefix to geolocate a phone number is less than ideal. Many people will move from town to town, or even state to state, but will keep their original phone number, making it difficult to track their current location. Credible reverse phone number lookup tools are constantly updating and filtering data from multiple sources and will pick up on these kinds of changes within a reasonable time period to ensure the precise details of the caller are up to date.
The best reverse caller ID apps allow you to take action from the information from the reverse phone lookup, such as blocking the caller, allowing a “disconnected” message to play the next time the caller tries to reach you, or flagging the number as spam. TrapCall is the #1 app to provide the most accurate reverse caller ID information and to immediately respond with call blocking or spam protection technology.
Just imagine, you get a call on your iPhone that says, “No Caller ID” or on your Android phone that says “Restricted” or ”Unknown” when the phone rings. With TrapCall active on your phone, you unmask that call, revealing the true caller ID as 619-950-8761.
Using the Reverse Lookup feature available in the TrapCall mobile app, you look up the number. TrapCall identifies the number as spam, so you know this is an annoying telemarketer calling. You quickly add the number to your TrapCall blacklist, and now that telemarketer hears a message when they call you saying your number has been disconnected. They never bother calling again and your number has a much better chance of getting removed from their list.
With TrapCall, you can blacklist calls from any number, and they will hear a message that your number is disconnected. Reverse caller ID lookup, used in conjunction with TrapCall’s ability to unmask blocked calls, is incredibly powerful in bringing you peace of mind as you use your phone. TrapCall is a simple and inexpensive solution that provides you the confidence and ability to always know who’s calling.
