Since we are in the digital era, most people have phones and thus use them to reach to various people for various reasons. When someone calls you, there are instances when you might be able to identify a caller. Other times, you might have a hard time identifying the other person on the line. In the latter scenario, your phone might display ‘No Caller ID’ or ‘Unknown caller’ message on its screen when someone calls you. By identifying who is calling you, be certain that you will know how is reaching out to you on phone. This way, you will be able to save more time as you will not have to keep asking the other caller to identify himself of herself.
Also, you will be confident sharing personal information with the other person since you already know him or her. Since most people would like to know the difference between ‘Unknown caller’ and ‘No caller ID, we shall take an in-depth look at that, alongside any other related facet.
Unknown Caller And Calls
If your device displays the ‘Unknown caller’ message on its screen when someone calls, it shows that the caller ID was provided but the device failed to identify the phone number.
Why you receive unknown calls
In most cases, the ‘Unknown caller’ message pops up on your phone’s screen when your carrier fails to recognize the phone number that was used to contact you. Such is very common with international numbers.
Supposing no one lives abroad and you were not expecting an international call, be certain that a scammer might be calling you. Such callers will appear as unknown callers whenever the contact you. Other times, someone might have leaked your phone number and different people are trying to reach you with numbers that cannot be identified by your current service provider.
What you should do to handle unknown calls
If an unknown caller tries to reach you on phone, hang up the phone call immediately. In case you happen to answer the phone call, do not share personal information. If possible block such contacts so that you can have some peace of mind.
No Caller ID
In case you are receiving calls and ‘No caller ID’ message displays on your phone, it shows that the person reaching out to you has opted to conceal or hide his or her phone number. The ‘No Caller ID’ is also known as masked number.
Why you receive a no caller id calls
You might be receiving a call with no caller ID when the caller does not want you to establish his or her phone number. Thankfully, hiding your number has become easy as all you need to do is to key in certain codes in front the phone number and you are good to go. If someone is calling from a no caller ID, such callers might have the intention of scamming you.
Other timers, such people might be marketing different products but still want to remain anonymous. Also, it might be an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend trying to reach you on phone but does not want you to know his or her phone number.
Finally, it might be a friend who want to prank you. The bad news is that you might not know who is calling, unless you know the caller’s voice. Additionally, it might be difficult to establish their intentions and so forth.
What You Should Do To Handle No Caller Id Callers And Calls
If someone tries to call you with a no caller ID, there are many options that you can consider. To start with, you can either choose to decline the call or just hang up. If you try to answer the phone call, you risk being scammed or being recorded on the other end by a person who you do not know.
Better still, let the call go to voicemail. As far as voicemail messages are concerned, you should consider including texts such as ‘Please avoid calling this number’ or ‘Put my number on your do not call list in case you work as a telemarketer’. Finally, you can go ahead and block that number once and for all.
Know To Identify Who Is Behind An Unknown Or No Caller Id Calls
In case someone is calling you using an unknown number or no caller ID, worry not as you can now find out who was calling you anonymously. Here, you can consider using any of the following methods:
Reverse Phone Number Lookup Services
With a reverse phone number lookup online tool, you will be able to discover who is trying to call you using an unknown phone number. Some of the tools that can help you enjoy this service include:
- CocoFinder
- NumLooker
- WhatIsThisNumber
- USPhoneLookup
- USPhoneSearch
- PhoneNumberLookupFree
- Number-Lookup
- WhoseNumber
Utilizing Social Media and search engine
If you have an account on a social media platform such as Facebook or Twitter, you can ask your friends to help you establish who is calling you using unknown number or no caller ID. Here, you might get friends who have ever been through such experiences like you and can offer the much-needed insights or guidance.
Besides social media platforms, consider using search engine such as Google to help you get started. Either way, you will be able to learn an ideal method that can help you discover who is calling you using no caller ID or unknown number.
Using call tracking and Analytic Tools
If you receive a call from an unknown number or no caller ID, consider using *69.Once the call is done, you should dial *69 and you will be able to get connected to the number that just contact you.
Although this method may not be able to let you know the number of the anonymous caller, be certain that you will be reconnected to that caller. Once you are reconnected to the caller, you are free to make enquiries so that you can know him or her better.
Besides the *69, you can dial *57 and your device will be able to contact the number that had called you devoid of an identity. It is imperative to note that the *57 allows your carrier to track the number that called you lastly and then record all the necessary data. The carrier can then store these details and then store for litigation purposes. To get the best results ensure that you record the time and date that you dialed *57.
Comparison of Unknown Caller and No Caller ID
Differences And Similarities
To start with, both unknown caller and no caller ID makes it difficult for you to identify who is calling you. In this case, you have to listen to the voice of the caller so that you can establish who he or she is. Better still, you might have to ask the caller to identify himself or herself as you cannot be able to recognize them right away.
Although both have some vagueness when it comes to identity, they are different in a number of ways. First and foremost, no caller ID shows that the caller on the other end has opted to conceal or mask his or her phone number.
Depending on your needs and intentions, you can choose to conceal your number and thus remain anonymous to the person who will receive your call. Since the caller has opted to block his or her number from being seen by the recipient, answering such calls can be a concern to you and can be uncomfortable to say the least. After all, one should not hide his or her phone number if his or her intentions are pure and honest.
On the other hand, unknown caller means that your carrier was unable to recognize the caller’s information and thus cannot allow you to identify the phone number that the caller is using. Most people who call with unknown numbers usually provide their caller ID. However, the cellular network fails to find or recognize these numbers.
Besides these differences, no caller ID is mostly used by individuals who want to prank others. However, scammers can also use this technique in order to defraud you or steal from you.
On the other hand, you might see the unknown caller message on your phone if there is a technical hitch from the network setup or requested caller. In this case, it is advisable to answer such calls.
Perhaps someone from a different state is trying to reach you. However, you should be careful not to get scammed. If the caller has malicious intensions, ask them not to call you again or just block his or her phone number.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- You can use unknown caller or no caller ID to reach out to someone who is avoiding you.
- It helps to create anonymity especially when you want to investigate something phishy.
- Since you will remain anonymous, be certain that your security is guaranteed.
- It can help you market a few products to people who reside outside your country. This works well if you use an unknown number to call the recipient.
Cons
- The recipient wastes a lot of time establishing who is calling his or her phone
- The recipient can end up losing vital details such as credit card information or other personal details to scammers. Other times, the recipient can end up being defrauded unawares.
- It denies the recipient the much-needed peace of mind
Understanding the Difference Between Scam and Spam: What You Need to Know
Scam refers to misleading, tricky chats or calls that are characterized by malicious intensions. If you fall for scams or spam messages or emails, you are likely to get defrauded. Therefore, you have to be cautious not to fall prey of such calls, emails or text messages.
Some of the scams and spams that are associated with unknown caller and no caller ID include:
Phishing scams
This refers to the form of social engineering attack that aims at stealing one’s essential data such as your login details and well as your credit card numbers. Here, the attacker usually masquerades as a person whom you can trust, and later dupes you into opening an instant message, email or even a text message.
If you click the malicious link sent to you, be sure that you will be prompted to install a certain software in your device. Consequently, your vital data will be revealed and can be used for malicious purposes.
Robo Calls
Simply put, these are calls that made using an auto-dialer and can be used to scam you unawares. In most cases, these calls can be used to obtain your credit card details or defraud you. Since these calls come from unknown callers, you have to be careful when dealing with them.
Spam Calls
In most cases, spam calls come from people who want to scam you. If your number has been sold to scammers, be certain that you will always receive such calls from time to time. Just like robo calls, you have to be careful when dealing with spam calls as you risk being defrauded your hard earned money or losing vital details such as your credit card information to scammers.
To protect yourself from scams and spams, consider the following ideas:
- Do not be quick to receive calls from no caller IDs or unknown callers.
- Do not be tempted to open unsolicited documents
- Avoid sharing your password with anyone
- Beware of social engineering practices such as phishing scams
- Avoid clicking links blindly. Instead, hover over that link using your mouse and establish if the link and the text present match or not.
- If you have just met someone online and are about to do business with him or her, consider doing some research so that you can know whether they are genuine or not.
- Ensure that you secure your mobile phone, laptop, tablets and computers secure.
- Be careful whom you share your personal information with. If it is someone whom you do not know, decline it right away. Also, avoid sending money to people whom you do not trust or know.
- If you have to purchase something online, ensure that you establish that your preferred online shopping platform is legit and secure. In case you have to use bitcoins to transact, be careful as their protection is not the same as the conventional payment methods.
Way To Report Unknown And No Caller Id Calls
There are several ways that can help you report unknown and no caller ID calls. Some of these methods include:
To your Phone service Provider
Supposing an unknown caller has been harassing you lately, consider reporting the incident to your carrier. Once you report the incident to the carrier’s customer care team, trust that the service provider will help identify the identity of the unknown caller. Some of the details that the carrier can unearth for you include the name of the caller, his phone number, his address and so much more.
To Government Agencies, such as The Federal Trade Commission. (FTC)
As we speak, you can report unknown callers to government agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and get closure. Unlike other agencies, this one mainly deals with scam reports. If you feel that you are being harassed by unknown callers, reach out to this agency either online or via phone by dialing 1-877-382-4357.This agency is always willing to listen to your issues and address them accordingly.
To law enforcement
Apart from reporting to the entities mentioned above, you can still report the issue to the authorities that operate within your locality. The police on the other hand will help identify the caller and take stern action on him or her.
For optimal results, ensure that you submit details about the calls that you have been receiving in the past. Here, you can describe the voices that you heard, when you received the phone call, the number of times the unknown caller called you, and so on. With this details at hand, the police department will help establish the person behind those calls and take appropriate action.
The Sneaky Tactics of Unknown Callers: How They Conceal Their Phone Numbers
One of the fastest way to hide your phone number is to dial *67 before the number you intend to call. For instance, if you want to block or hide your phone number when calling 734-223-4445, dial *67-734-223-4445.You have to do this for all the numbers whom you do not their owners to know your identity. As a result, your caller ID will appear as ‘blocked’ or ‘Private’ on the recipient’s phone.
Depending on your carrier, you might not have the luxury of blocking or hiding your caller ID. In this case, you have to reach out to your carrier’s customer care team and request them to block your number. By doing so, your caller ID will be hidden or blocked whenever you call another phone number. However, you can unblock your number by dialing *82 before making any call you please.
What I Should Do When I Receive A Call From Unknown Caller And No Caller ID
If an unknown caller is try to reach you on phone, feel free to pick the call and answer it. Chances are that the caller might have good intentions, only that his or her phone number cannot be recognized by your carrier.
On the other hand, if a no caller ID is trying to contact you, decline such calls. Unlike the former, the latter has intentionally blocked his or her number from being seen by the people he or she choose to call on phone. Such callers usually have malicious intentions and can scam you if you are not careful. To be on the safe side decline such calls or block the no caller ID’s number right away.
Process to Block Unknown Caller and No Caller ID On My Phone
Block Unknown Caller On My Phone
The process of blocking unknown callers and No Caller ID on your phone is generally easy and straightforward. Depending on your phone model, the steps that one should follow might vary. The following are the steps that you should follow so as to get started:
On android
- Get your Android phone ready
- Launch the phone app
- Tap on the 3 dots that you will see on your screen.
- Tap on the ‘Settings’ option
- Click on ‘Block numbers’.
- Navigate through the options that you will see on your screen and then click on the ‘block unknown callers’ option
- Switch it on and you will have managed to block unknown callers from calling you.
On iPhone
- Get your iPhone ready and go to the ‘Settings’ icon.
- Tap on the ‘Phone’ option and then choose the ‘Call Block & Identification’ option
- Since you want to block ‘unknown callers’ click on the ‘Silence unknown callers’ and then turn it on.
Block No Caller ID On My Phone
On android
- Go to the phone app on your Android device
- Click on the 3 dots that you will see on the top right-hand side of your phone’s screen.
- Select the ‘Settings’ option and then click on the ‘Block numbers’ option.
- Switch on the ‘block no caller ID’ option
On Iphone
- Go to the ‘Settings’ icon
- Click on the ‘Phone’ option and then switch on the ‘Silence no caller ID’
- By doing soya will no longer be able to able to receive calls from no caller ID. Consequently, you will have some peace of mind.
FAQ
Are dangerous unknown calls?
Yes. Receiving calls from a person with no caller ID can subject you to voice phishing. To be on the safe side, you should decline these calls or hang them altogether. Better still, block such calls and you will be good to go.
How do i call back a call with no caller ID or unknown caller?
If an unknown caller or one with no caller ID has called you, be certain that you can call back by dialing *69. As you do this, you should note that your carrier might set a particular time limit when it comes to returning private calls. In most cases, this is usually 30 minutes from the time the unknown caller reached out to you.
Although you will not be able to know the actual phone number of the unknown caller, the good news is that you will be able to get connected with that person. Even if the person does not answer your call, trust that you will be able to get a voicemail message that can offer the much-needed clues that can help reveal his or her identity.
