How to Look Up a Scammer’s Phone Number: Tips and Tricks

Cindy Ellis - August 8, 2022

Between telemarketers, scammers, and robocalls, it’s not uncommon for people to receive dozens of phone calls from unfamiliar numbers each week. In fact, according to data from 2021, there were more than 1,400 calls per second being made by robocallers for scams. That adds up to almost 200 million calls per day. Unfortunately, this number doesn’t factor in the scam calls that come from call centers in other countries, so the number of scam calls made each day is likely much higher.

What makes these calls challenging to manage is the fact that scammers continue to change the way they call people. While it used to be from unknown or private numbers (many calls still are), scammers have started stealing identities and phone numbers to make calls. Therefore, a number with your unique area code could be stolen and used by people in another country. What’s more, you’d have no idea by checking the caller ID.

If you want to put an end to scam calls, you’re in the right place. We’ll take you through everything you need to know about scam calls and how to block them. You’ll also learn how to find their other phone numbers, addresses, and more.

What Is a Scam Call?

A scam call, legally known as phone fraud, occurs when someone illegally tries to acquire money from someone over the phone. Phone fraud commonly takes place when someone poses as a telemarketing company or agency to illegally receive payments from people. There are many types of scam calls, and millions of scam calls take place each day.

Learning more about scam calls and how to look up a scammer’s number can protect you from potential losses and identify theft.

What Are the Most Common Scam Calls?

Scammers use many methods to trick people into giving them information. They often look for banking information, passwords, social security numbers, and credit card information. Scammers also pose as government agencies, companies, and friends/family who need something (usually money or gift cards).

Based on call data from 2020 and 2021, the most common types of phone scam calls are:

• Calls from someone posing as the IRS
• Someone pretending to be from a charity
• Fake lottery scams
• Bank fraud scam calls
• Password requests for websites
• Calls from someone posing as technical support
• Someone posing as a family member or friend in danger
• Auto warranty fraud
• People posing as debt collectors
• Callers pretending to be from Medicare or Medicaid

It’s important to verify who you’re speaking with before giving anyone information over the phone.

Tips for Identifying Scam Calls

Scammers are easy to identify once you know what to look for. We have several tips to help you avoid falling victim to a scam call.

Here are some things to watch out for:

• The IRS will never call you looking for money or information; they only send mail for these purposes
• The person can’t answer information about the company they’re calling from
• They request payment in the form of gift cards or wire transfers (unconventional payment methods)
• They call looking for credit card information to cover shipping fees
• They don’t give you time to consult with friends or family members (use of pressure)
• The caller threatens you over the phone
• Callers threaten to have you arrested

These tips can be applied to most scam calls, so make sure you vet who you’re speaking with before giving out information on the phone.

Who’s Targeted the Most by Scam Calls?

According to several news sources, people over the age of 65 and Hispanics are targeted the most by scam phone calls. Sadly, almost 60 million people fell victim to scam calls in 2021 for a combined loss of nearly 30 billion dollars. While the elderly and Hispanics are targeted the most, other groups of people also fall victim to scam calls each year.

While scam calls have become more popular, there are still many internet scams to be aware of. Always verify who’s emailing you, and don’t follow random links. You can always use Information.com’s people search tool to learn more about someone who’s contacting you.

What Are the Types of Scam Calls?

There are many types of scam calls, and each one has a unique story or goal. That said, scam calls can be categorized into three main groups based on the type of call. These groups are robocalls, spoofed or stolen numbers, and criminals.

Robocalls

Robocalls can be from telemarketing agencies, but scammers can also use robocalls. A robocall is an automated messaging call with a pre-recorded voice and some potential instructions. An example of a robocall would be a robotic voice that gives you the option to speak with a representative by pressing “1” on your dial pad.

When dealing with robocalls, it’s important to verify the company you’re speaking with and to ask any customer service representative questions about the company. If they don’t have answers, there’s a good chance it’s a scam.

Spoofed Numbers

A spoofed phone is a number that appears as a local or well-known number on caller ID when it’s a different number. Caller ID spoofing is when the scammer causes a telephone network to make a number you’re more familiar with appear on your caller ID—like a number from your area code—even though the call is from somewhere or someone else. Scammers spoof numbers to increase the chances of people picking up phone calls.

According to phone providers like AT&T, even toll-free numbers can be spoofed. Spoofed toll-free numbers can lead to several problems, especially if the original number is not toll-free. In fact, calling a spoofed toll-free number can lead to charges for international and long-distance calls. Always ask for a first and last name dealing with scammers, so you can verify their identity using a people search.

Also, if you’ve received a call from an entity like your bank, feel free to hang up the call, and call back using the number on the back of your card. Banks, for example, will already have it down in your account whether or not they’ve called you and what the call was regarding. Real institutions will have no problem with you verifying their credentials in this way.

Private Phone Numbers 

Many scammers use private numbers to contact potential victims. Private numbers are numbers that appear as “Private” or “Blocked” on a phone’s caller ID. While anyone can use private numbers, scammers use them because they’re harder to trace than regular phone numbers. Scammers can also add layers to private phone number scams to make them even harder to find. For example, they can make a spoofed number private, so the call isn’t linked to their original phone number.

When receiving calls from private numbers, you can’t always perform a reverse number lookup. Additionally, you won’t be able to search for their number in a search engine. Therefore, getting a first and last name when you’re on a call with a private number is important. Even if they don’t give you a real name, which they likely won’t, you can run a people search to see if they’re lying about their identity.

These are the most common types of scam calls and scam callers.

How to Lookup a Scammer’s Phone Number

Looking up a scammer’s phone number is simple once you know where to look. There are a few places you can look up a phone number, and once you know the scammer’s name, you can perform a search on them to see if they’re legitimate. The best tool to learn more about a scammer is a people search tool because it can provide you with a full report on someone.

Reverse Number Lookup

As long as they aren’t using a private or blocked number, you can perform a reverse number lookup. To run the search, all you have to do is input the number that’s been calling you into the search bar of a reverse number lookup tool and hit “Search.” If it’s registered to that caller, you should be able to see things like the caller’s name, address, previous addresses, relatives, possible criminal history and more.

If you determine that this is not the identity of the person that’s been calling you, then you’ll know that the number has been spoofed, and that it’s a scam.

Whitepages

Whitepages is a great place to start your phone number lookup. On Whitepages, you can enter a phone number and learn about a person’s address, possible relatives, and additional phone numbers. Yellow Pages can also be used for similar purposes if the scammer is calling from a local phone number.

While Whitepages is a great place to start, you shouldn’t spend too much time there. Looking up more than a few people will cost you money, and the information is not always accurate. Therefore, you should use Whitepages to find what you can before performing a more in-depth people search.

Social Media

Social media is another great way to look up a scammer’s phone number. Many social media apps like Facebook and LinkedIn have search engines that can find someone if you have their phone number. That said, looking up someone on social media is risky because platforms like LinkedIn alert people when their profile is searched and viewed. Additionally, platforms like Facebook might not have accurate information.

Another issue with social media is that scammers can steal profiles from people. So, someone can be using someone else’s phone number and social media account. This makes it hard to verify if someone is who they say they are without contacting them on the platform. So, once you have their first and last name, you can run a people search to verify their identity.

Google Search

Finally, you can search for a phone number on Google. Google’s database is massive, so you might find their name or address by entering the phone number into the search bar. While using Google to find a number can work, it’s important to be specific and add as much information as you can.

Unfortunately, most scammers give fake names, so it’s hard to know if the person you find on Google is legitimate. For this reason, we recommend using Google to find some additional information about a phone number before running a more specific people search.

Search tools like Information.com’s people search engine can help obtain a full and accurate report about someone – even a scammer.

How to Block a Scammers Phone Number

To block a scammer’s number, you can report their number to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), save their contact with *67 in front, or block them on your mobile device through call settings. While you can block scammers with these methods, what happens when they call back from a different or new number? We’ll show you how to block a scammer from the source with a people search.

Using a People Search To Block Scammers

The best way to block a scammer is to use a people search tool, which you can find on Information.com. With a people search tool, you can find out more about anyone who’s calling you and they’re easy to use.

To begin, follow the steps below.

1. Use caller ID to find the scammer’s name or ask a scammer for their first and last name.
2. Enter the person’s first and last name into the people search engine; having their address, state, and city helps you narrow down the search.
3. Scroll through the results until you find the person you’re looking for.
4. Open their full report.
5. Locate their phone number and other phone numbers.
6. Report their phone numbers to the FTC.
7. Block their phone numbers using *67 or call settings (on mobile).
8. Remain vigilant and follow the same steps for new scam calls and phone numbers.

You can follow these steps for any potential scam calls and calls from mysterious numbers. If someone on the phone is reluctant to identify themselves, you can assume it’s a scam and hang up the phone. Otherwise, use a people search to verify the legitimacy of the person you’re speaking with.

When you perform a people search on a scammer you can learn more about them, which can help you block any additional numbers they’re calling from.

Say Goodbye to Scam Callers

Identifying and blocking scam calls can save you time, money, and even mental clarity. Because of the frequency of scam calls, blocking numbers from incoming scammers can prevent your phone from ringing all day, which can provide some peace of mind. Therefore, blocking scam calls can be life-changing, especially if you’re waiting for an important call from a new phone number.

While you won’t be able to block every scammer, using people search tools can help you learn more about someone and their reasons for calling. With that information, you can block their phone number, confirm their location, and contact the authorities if you feel threatened. With information.com, you can finally put an end to scam calls and block any scammer you want.