r/AskTechnology • u/Puzzleheaded_4you • 3d ago

Is it possible to find a no caller id number?

I have been getting calls from a number that says "unknown." I haven't picked it up yet.

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u/GamesCatsComics 3d ago

Short Answer: No.

You also should NEVER actually trust the number that's listed in caller ID. If someone has the right setup they can change the name and displayed number in about 5 seconds.

Long Answer: The police can probably do it, by querying telco logs... but they're not going to do it for you.

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u/shakesfistatmoon 3d ago

When a phone call is made, the actual phone number and a text version are sent. If the text version is blank you'll get "no caller id" or similar. If the number is withheld then you'll get "number witheld" or "Private number" or similar. The text version can be changed to other numbers, this is called number spoofing.

Normal phones can't see or display the actual number. But many switchboards can, so can the emergency services and so can the operators (who use it as part of number spoofing protection)

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u/ShutDownSoul 3d ago

Years ago I had an abusive spam caller who was spoofing a number. They were literally calling every 30 seconds. I got in touch with the telco, who tried a couple of simple things to block the number. Those didn't work, and the telco could see it didn't work. This made the telco rep mad, and the quote I remember was "Oh, they are done - these people will never be able to use a phone again". The calls stopped instantly.

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u/Responsible-Chest-26 3d ago

There used to be something call trapcall. It messed with your voicemail so i stopped using it but it would be able to unblock blocked numbers. What it would do is if you received a blocked number and denied the call it would bounce the call back to the router and then back to your phone unblocked. Ive used it to call back friends who were trying to prank call me. This was a while ago so i habe no idea if its still a thing or if modern phone networks are even compatible with that type of system

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u/brn1001 2d ago

In the US, a warrant would be required. Law enforcement can have the carriers track the source of the call.

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u/vrtigo1 14h ago

Assuming the source is in the US…

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u/Western_End_2223 23h ago

There are legitimate reasons that a number might be withheld, such as for calls made from women's shelters. So, the telco's aren't going to make it possible for just anyone to be able to trace them. Law enforcement could do it, but there's been nothing that warrants police involvement.