We receive a call from a private or unknown number when the calling person does not send their phone number in the clear. In this case, finding the number from which the call was made without resorting to extreme measures, such as using paid services or taking legal action, can be very difficult. In most cases you will not be able to call back a private number. Only the telephone company and the judicial institutions in your country can trace this information. If during the course of a normal day you usually receive many calls of this type and you want to solve the problem, you can try to trace the number of those who are bothering you using special telephone services or specific applications for smartphones. Alternatively, you can prevent a certain private number from calling you or decide to block all anonymous incoming calls without distinction.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Tracing a Private Number from a Landline
Step 1. Trace the call received from a private number immediately after ending it by contacting your carrier
This step should only be considered for specific events, such as threats or telephone harassment. The telephone operator will take care of your notification by keeping track of the calling telephone number, the date and time the call was made. The second step is to proceed by legal means by contacting the police, carabinieri or a judicial institution to inform them of the situation and the date and time in which you received the call you asked to trace. In any case, the telephone operator will provide detailed information on the calling telephone number only to the competent institutions. You will be confirmed that all details relating to the call and caller identity have been recorded to allow you to take legal action against this person.
- In order for the telephone company to trace the call, you will be forced to answer. Even if the caller were to interrupt the communication as soon as you answer, it will still be possible to trace the number from which the call originated.
- Based on the legislation in your country and your carrier, you may only be able to take action after reporting the abuse 3 consecutive times.
- Most telephone companies offer this service for a fee, whether or not you decide to report the facts to law enforcement later. The costs of the service can reach up to € 10 per phone call.
- This service should only be used in the case of harassing, obscene or threats.
Step 2. Activate the automatic service offered by your telephone company to block anonymous calls
To do this, simply enter a code with the telephone keypad after lifting the handset. Contact your landline operator's customer support to find out how to proceed. Since identifying the telephone number of an anonymous call is a very complex and expensive procedure, activating this type of service can be of considerable help. This feature will automatically reject all calls that are anonymous or from private numbers. To deactivate it, simply enter the appropriate code with the keypad of the device and then simply hang up the receiver.
Users who make an anonymous call to your number will receive a notification inviting them to hang up, also informing them that in order to successfully contact you they will have to make a normal call
Step 3. Try calling back the last number that contacted you
You can do this by typing the code * 69 (depending on the telephone company the code of this service may vary). An auto responder will provide you with the phone number, date and time of the last call received and will give you the opportunity to contact them again. Remember that this service only provides information relating to the last call received.
- Unfortunately, this type of service does not work in the case of anonymous calls or calls made from private numbers. If the last call received came from one of these numbers, an automatic message will warn you that the telephone company was unable to find the information requested.
- If you have activated the automatic service to block anonymous calls or calls from private numbers, but you continue to receive harassing calls, using the service to find out the data of the last call received you will be able to trace the telephone number of the person who is bothering you.
- This type of service may only work upon activation, so contact your telephone operator to find out the details and costs of the offer.
- In order to use this service you will not have to answer the call. Harassers or telemarketers make multiple calls in a single day, so you just have to wait for the phone to stop ringing again and then call the number that will allow you to trace the caller's information.
Step 4. If all the steps seen so far do not have any effect, have your number deleted from the telephone directories
Most telemarketing companies have a list of all the people who have requested not to be contacted. In order to be included in these lists, you must expressly notify the company in question; otherwise it will continue to contact you trying to sell you its products and services.
Talking or reasoning on the phone with certain people can be quite difficult. Never give your personal information to strangers and don't let the tone of the call go to the point of making you uncomfortable. Remember that to stop an unpleasant phone call, simply hang up the handset
Step 5. Keep track of all anonymous telephone calls or from private numbers in order to possibly provide the data to the competent institutions
If it is possible to identify a precise pattern of behavior relating to the calls received, it is very likely that the police will be able to intervene. Keep track of dates, times and tones of all anonymous or private calls.
- By choosing to file a complaint, you will most likely begin a long and costly ordeal.
- Be prepared to make some difficult changes in your daily life; for example, by changing your phone number or having to follow precise instructions provided by the police to be able to trace phone calls. In extreme cases, you may be forced to talk to the harasser to ensure you have time to trace the source of the call.
Method 2 of 3: Retrieve a Private Number via Smartphone
Step 1. Search for online services reserved for tracing private or anonymous telephone numbers
You can take advantage of the related websites and reviews of users who have already used this service. There are several services of this type that can be used on your smartphone by downloading the appropriate app, including, for example, "Trapcall" and "Caller Identification App (CIA)". Most of these services are paid and compatible with almost all devices on the market. The features of these applications allow you to view your phone number, record calls and blacklist any unwanted calling numbers.
- "Trapcall": this is a paid service that offers its customers different tariff plans with different features. Through the basic subscription you will have the possibility to trace the caller's number and other information associated with it.
- "Caller Identification App": although not able to trace the telephone number of an anonymous call, this application allows you to block calls received from specific numbers and also to trace the information of the calls using public databases.
Step 2. Configure your smartphone to be able to use "Trapcall" or any other similar application
To do this, you will need to download and install the relevant app on the device, by searching the store linked to the architecture of your smartphone. To take advantage of the features offered, you may need to purchase the application in question or subscribe to the service.
The application should guide you through the steps required to set up the device correctly. For example, the "Trapcall" configuration procedure mainly consists of dialing a series of codes using the smartphone. The configuration procedure is specific to each phone model, as are the codes to use based on your phone number, telephone company and area of residence. All this information will be provided to you by the website related to the application. You will be asked if you wish to test your device and, if so, you will be contacted via an auto responder who will carry out all the required checks
Step 3. Display a private number
Each of these services uses a different procedure with which to trace the number from which an anonymous or private call comes. In most cases you will have to wait for the person in question to call you via a private number or anonymous phone call, then you will have to refuse the call by pressing the appropriate button on your smartphone. After a few moments you will receive a new call or a message that will provide you with the telephone number of the person who contacted you.
You will be able to call back the number in question, consult the relevant information or put it on the blacklist so that it can no longer disturb you
Method 3 of 3: Block a Sender Directly from the Smartphone
Step 1. Block a contact on the iPhone
Unfortunately, this procedure only works if you know the caller's phone number. If you have an iOS version later than 8 installed on your iPhone, you will be able to block any number or contact. Launch the "Phone" application, then press the circular icon containing a small "i" relating to the contact in question to view detailed information. Scroll to the bottom of the list that appears, then select "Block contact".
You can manage all blocked contacts by accessing the "Settings" app, from here you will have to choose the "Phone" item and finally select the "Blocked" option. On the same page you will be able to add additional contacts to block and, if necessary, you can unblock a contact by pressing the "Edit" button and deleting it from the list
Step 2. Block a contact on Android devices
Unfortunately, this procedure only works if you know the caller's phone number. There are several ways to block an incoming call on an Android device, the simplest method is to launch the "Phone" application and display the numeric keypad. At this point, touch the icon characterized by three dots, choose the item "Settings" and finally select the "Calls" option. On the next screen choose the item "Call refusal".
- Choose the item "Automatic Rejection" to activate the automatic blocking of calls from selected numbers.
- If you have not yet created a list of numbers to block, select the item "Automatic rejection list" to proceed to fill in the list.
Step 3. Block a contact on phones running Windows 8
Unfortunately, this procedure only works if you know the caller's phone number. To activate this function, go to the "Start" screen and select the "Settings" item. Tap the "Call and SMS filter" item, then enable the "Block calls and SMS" function using the appropriate switch.
- To block a specific contact, access the list of received calls to locate its phone number, then select it and hold it down for a few seconds until the relative contextual menu appears; at this point choose the "Block number" option.
- You can manage the list of blocked contacts by accessing the "Settings", selecting the "Call and SMS filter" item and pressing the "Blocked numbers" button.
Advice
- The procedure for blocking a contact varies according to the smartphone model in use. Consult the user manual or the technical support section of the manufacturer's website for specific information.
- Remember that not all smartphones offer the ability to block calls received from a certain number, especially in the case of older models.
- Find ways to record harassing calls or at least keep track of all the details of the conversation - they could be important evidence in the event of a legal action.
- Change your phone number and make sure you have it deleted from your telemarketing-related telephone directories.
Warnings
- Some services may not be active in all countries.
- You can request to trace the origin of a call only after initiating a legal measure. This is a procedure that can only be performed by the telephone company and should only be used in the most serious cases (for example in the presence of stalkers or harassers), in which it is essential to identify the calling person.
