How To Tell If A Number Is Fake

Nowadays, many people are cautious about giving out their private information, including phone numbers. You can’t blame them. They’re right to withhold that information as they’re probably worried about being scammed by someone they met and shared information with. In the U.S., about 1.3 million children get their identities stolen annually. People can even get scammed through a fake phone number.

One of the common ways people protect themselves online is by providing fake numbers when you engage them. This is evident with the recent rise of fake number searches, as seen in platforms like Burn, which makes over 2,000 fake phone numbers monthly.

So, if you’re a business seeking to build a client database, you might experience fake phone numbers, so exactly what is a fake phone number?

What’s A Fake Phone Number?

A fake phone number can be either of the two definitions below;

• A number that connects to someone you didn’t expect to pick up once you call them
• A number that isn’t going through, meaning it doesn’t exist. This is the most commonscenario of fake phone numbers
  With that in mind, let’s see how you can tell if a phone number is fake

How To Tell If A Phone Number Is Fake

Telling if a phone number is fake is crucial, especially for businesses. It can indicate the health of the database you’ve gathered, guiding you on future marketing campaigns.

As for individuals, you’ll get to tell the kind of people you’re dealing with and if they’re trustworthy. When you get a missed call from a new number, you’ll probably jump to your instinct of calling the number to validate its authenticity, but that doesn’t get you the name of the person behind the call. Neither does it validate if it’s a fake or real number.

Your next option might be to Google the number, but will this satisfy your curiosity about knowing whether the number is real or fake? I don’t think so. Besides, google isn’t designed for these kinds of searches.

So, your best bet for telling a fake number lies with the methods we’ll discuss below. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to know the name of the person behind those pesky calls you’ve been getting.

1. CNAM vs. Caller ID

CNAM stands for Caller ID Name. It’s easily confused with Caller ID, but there’s a significant difference.

Caller ID is a common feature in all phones, showing the number calling you. So, you can’t rely on it to tell a fake number. This name stuck out of the convenience of people using it.

To tell a fake number, you should know the name and number of the person calling you; this is what Caller ID Name (CNAM) does best. However, this method of caller identification varies across all service providers. It’s reliant on the receiving carrier’s ability to go through a CNAM database and display the name registered to the calling number.

You can use a phone validator if your service provider cannot look up the phone number on a CNAM database.

2. Using phone validators

Phone validators help you do what they mean— to validate a phone number.

They make this a possibility by combing through public and proprietary databases. This is by using effective Open Source Intelligent (OSINT) gathering tools to get data cross-referenced with the number you’re searching for. Examples of these tools include;

• Google
• Maltego
• Email Hippo

However, as much as it’s effective, you should avoid using free phone validators. Some purchase information from other platforms, resulting in a biased, outdated database, making your search ineffective.

Otherwise, phone validators with charges will only cost you some cents, and their effectiveness is unmatched. This result from having an updated database with every search you make. In the long run, they’ll free up your time and expenses by reducing your call time and cost as a business.

The beauty of using phone validators is that you can search your contact list in bulk. This is by uploading an excel file, .txt file, or .csv onto the platform and waiting for the results once you click the search button.

With a paid phone validator, you might get access to additional information, which includes;

• Location, time zone, map, and area code info
• Phone type- can be a landline, VoIP, or cell phone

3. Use Social Catfish

Search engines that use OSINT tools to find information, such as Social Catfish, are your best bet for finding out if a number is fake. Social Catfish will search for the number in online databases and provide more details about the number. Some of the information you’ll get include;

• Name of owner
• Address
• Email Address
• Links to their socials

Conducting a reverse phone search on Social Catfish to get the real person behind the number is straightforward. All you need is to visit www.socialcatfish.com and select phone search. Input your number and click search. You should get your results in seconds.

How To Tell If A Text Is From A Fake Number

If you are suspicious that someone is sending you fake texts, there are a few signs you can look out for. Start by looking at the phone number associated with the message.

If the area code appears to be invalid or doesn’t match the location of the sender’s reported home, this could be a fake phone number. You should also investigate any long codes with many digits as they are often used to mask a fake phone number.

Lastly, take into account whether an unsolicited or unexpected text contains links or advertising. This is another red flag that could indicate a fake phone number. Being proactive in checking for a fake phone number can save you from embarrassment and excessive spam messages.

How To Manage Anonymous Text Messages

It’s not uncommon to get anonymous text messages sent to your number. Ideally, they’re coming from some telemarketing company that has acquired a 5-digit short-command-code or CSC from free text Apps like TextMe.

Since these numbers have unlimited texts and calls, they come for $500 to $1,500, making them expensive for individuals to afford. So, if you want to opt-out of these telemarketing campaigns, you can do the following;

• Reply to the number with the word ‘STOP,’ and this should automatically stop the company from sending you their messages
• Tell your telco company to block all CSC numbers

As much as large companies use these CSC numbers, some individuals might decide to use themto spook or threaten you. If this is the case, you can trace the number by the following methods;

• Send them a fake link that will expose their IP address and phone model once they open the link
• Use Apps like Truecaller or Whoscall to unmask the number
• Employ OSINT tools to find out more about the number

If the number persists in making threats, you should consider getting help to stop the number.

How To Track A Fake Number

It is not always easy to tell if somebody is using a fake phone number. That’s why it’s important to know how to track a fake number in case you ever suspect someone of providing false contact information.

With the right tools, you can get the real identity behind any fake phone number. One great way to do this is to use a reverse lookup system, which searches through millions of public and private records to connect fake numbers with associated people or businesses.

Additionally, an online tracker can be used for tracking caller information such as the location, time zone, and recent activities associated with the fake phone number. If done correctly, most fake numbers can be identified quickly and easily using these methods.

App To Unmask Fake Numbers

Fake phone numbers are an increasing burden to many individuals as scams, frauds, and fake accounts aim to take advantage of unsuspecting users. An app to unmask fake numbers can be a giant leap in protecting our personal information from malicious actors.

This app would not only detect fake numbers but also empower users with the tools they need to confront fake accounts and prevent online scams.

Such an app would serve as a much-needed shield from the ever-growing fraudulent activity that strives to take advantage of us on the internet. Unfortunately, such an app doesn’t exist. If you need to find out if a phone number is fake, you’ll have to use the aforementioned methods.

How To Get Help Stopping A Fake Number

If you find yourself in harm’s way due to spam calls and threatening text messages, you should do the following to protect yourself;

• Contact the nearest law enforcement agency. Police have more sophisticated tracking software, which they’ll use to stop the fake number only if it’s serious
• Reach your telco provider to determine whether the number is real or fake. This might cost you a significant amount of money
• Get a second phone number you can use online and share with strangers

Wrapping Up

With telemarketing and spam calls on the rise every day, there’s an inherent need to determine if that text message or missed call is from a fake or real number. You can verify if the number is real or fake by calling or Googling it. Still, the most effective way of validating your suspicions is using cost-effective search engines that employ OSINT tools like Social Catfish.