Phone scamming has been one of the more popular ways of illegitimately making money. With the ever-growing technology, there are ways to make sure you do not get scammed again. CNBCrecently highlighted a study that showed that 1 in every 3 Americans had fallen prey to a phone scam.
If you’re wondering how to recognize a phone scam, I will tell you what you should be on the lookout for, so let’s get started with the information on the usual phone scams.
How to Check a Phone Number for Scams?
If you’re wondering how to check if a phone number is real or a scammer trying to take your money and data, the best way to do it is to use specialized people search services. They update their databases frequently, so you’ll always know that the info you receive is fresh. We will list a few that have proven to be the most successful.
Intelius
If you’ve been the victim of a scam, you know how frustrating it can be to try and track down the person who took advantage of you. But with the Intelius app, you can quickly and easily look up any phone number to see if it’s associated with scams.
Just enter the number into the app and hit search. Their powerful database will instantly cross-reference it against millions of numbers that have been reported as being used by scammers. If there’s a match, they’ll let you know so you can take appropriate action. You can even use this to search for the owner of a restricted call once you’ve checked the private number that called you.
And best of all, their scammer phone number lookup is completely virtually free – for only $ 0.95 you can search a number with ease. So don’t wait – sign up for Intelius today to take back control and get revenge on your scammers.
With an A rating from the Better Firm Bureau, Intelius is a legitimate and certified business. You may click on each link in their interactive tool to discover other connections, which helps you acquire new information and expand your network of potential contacts.
Over 20 billion public records are available on Intelius, and they’re always upgrading it to offer you the most up-to-date information.
The service also has approval from the FCRA to provide aggregated data on paid subscriptions.
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How Can I Lookup a Phone Number for Free With Spokeo?
Spokeo is a people search engine that compiles data from a variety of public sources. This means that if a scammer’s phone number is listed anywhere online, there’s a good chance Spokeo will have it in their database. Spokeo has one of the largest and most up-to-date databases of scammer phone numbers that you can use to identify any number. To use Spoke, here’s what you need to:
- Type in the phone number that showed on your caller ID
- Press search
Spokeo will look up whose phone number is this, and you’ll find out if the call is authentic. If you have a missed call, and you don’t want to call back the phone number because it’s unfamiliar — search it on Spokeo. You can try the tool for free, but opt for a paid subscription if you want to access a more in-depth report.
From there, it’s up to you to decide if you want to try and contact any of the numbers on the list. Keep in mind, however, that scammers are often very good at hiding their tracks, so there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to find them this way.
Also, the results that Spokeo provides are very detailed:
- Name of the owner
- The names of possible previous owners
- The type of phone line
- It also offers fraudulent phone number lookup
We have not found any other site that offers such clear and to-the-point results. If you have ever been a victim of a scam, you know how important this information is.
Instant Checkmate
Using public records, Instant Checkmate lets you can easily look up any phone number – even a disposable one – and find out who it belongs to.
In just a few clicks, you can have access to detailed background information on the owner of any phone number. So, if you’re getting unwanted calls or texts from a number you don’t recognize, Instant Checkmate will discover their true identity. Simply enter the phone number into their reverse phone lookup tool and it will who it belongs to. If the number is associated with any known scams, you will see a special notification – so you can be on your guard at all times.
Instant Checkmate has accumulated more than 1.4 billion searches and gives quite reliable results based on a wide range of public data.
Don’t let a scammer get away with ruining your day – use Instant Checkmate to find out who they are and put an end to the harassment for good.
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Truthfinder
Multiple search options make TruthFinder one of the most widely used public record search engines.
If you’re looking for a way to lookup scammer phone numbers, TruthFinder is a powerful tool that can help you stay safe. With this scammer phone lookup tool, you can enter any phone number and see what information comes up. This can be helpful in identifying who a caller is, and whether or not they’re trying to scam you.
So if you’re ever unsure about a call you receive, be sure to check the number on TruthFinder first. It could just save you from becoming a victim of fraud.
In order to give you a comprehensive report on the person you’re looking for, TruthFinder searches through hundreds of millions of public documents, social network data, and other sources. Accurate information, an easy-to-use interface, and clear explanations of how to use background reports are all provided by the site.
TruthFinder’s principal offering is their Background Checking service, but they also provide a variety of other useful searches. People’s criminal or traffic histories, as well as information on their contact information, education and career history, and social media profiles, may all be found online.
Visit Truthfinder
Location Tracker – Phone Scammer Lookup
Location Tracker is another application that uses a different way to go about this situation. If you want to find a scammer or track their GPS location, Location Tracker can be an effective solution. You can also use it to find someone who might be tracking you. The tool works in four simple steps –
- Visit locationtracker.mobi and upload any image from your gallery to it, and the tool will generate a link for you.
- Once the link is generated, you can send it to the tracker using any messaging app like WhatsApp, Telegram, or even Instagram.
- Once the message is sent, you’ll have to wait for the target to click on the link. This will activate location tracking for their device.
- Location Tracker will send you the target’s geolocation on your dashboard, allowing you to easily track them.
Location Tracker also comes with a free trial and a refund option, so you can test out the tool to see if it’s the best fit for your requirements.
Visit Truthfinder
Is There Any Free Reverse Phone Lookup?
When someone asks you How to track a scammer phone number?, you could suggest they search for CallApp: Caller ID, Call Blocker & Call Recorder.
This app identifies calls and SMS numbers by using a dialer and spam call blocker.
It recognizes blocked phone numbers with their reverse phone lookup system.
Additionally, it will automatically prevent numbers from scam companies looking to make money off you or get your credit card details. With this app, you will never have to ask, “Who is calling me?” or “Is this number safe?” again.
List of Scammer Phone Numbers 2022
If you receive a phone call from any of the following numbers, do not answer it! These are known scammer phone numbers that have been used in the past to try and trick people into giving away their personal information or money. Here’s a list of some known scammer phone numbers you should be aware of:
- 1-800-867-5309
- 1-888-481-5560
- 1-888-566-6372
- 1-877-722-7555
- 1-866-840-7033
- 1-855-293-8333
- 1-855-290-3283
- 1-800-419-6343
If you want to see a more extensive list of scammer phone numbers, you can look at specialized resources.
Popular Scam Methods
As I mentioned before, scammers have been tricking innocent people for decades, and they have come up with some new scam methods that make people give them their personal information.
“Can you hear me?”
A popular method of scams that usually makes you answer “yes.” The scammer records your answer and then uses your voice to authorize charges on credit cards and bills. If a similar scenario happens to you, don’t answer the question and do not press any buttons, just hang up the phone.
Free Vacations and Prizes
Scammers will make you believe you have won a free vacation or a prize but will ask you for your credit card details so that you can pay your fee and claim your prize. Do not give them these data because they will use it to spend money on your credit card.
Phishing Scams
These calls usually claim that there is something wrong with your computer, and the scammers need your credit card info to download an antivirus and fix the problem. It’s a fraud to get additional vital details from your computer, so be careful not to share anything confidential over the telephone.
Loan Scams
Scammers will ask for you to pay an old student loan, car loan, payday loan, or similar. Real businesses don’t do this over the phone.
Debt Collector Scam
A lot of people are in debt these days, so this is a straightforward scam. However, don’t fall for it and never give credit card details over the phone.
Credit Card Security Number Scams
Scammers will introduce themselves as bank staff and will ask you to provide the three-digit number on the back of your card. Even those three numbers can lead to missing money from your account.
Tech Support Scams
Advanced technology made it possible for a lot of smart houses to exist these days, but remember that tech support does not call you when you have a problem. You always call them — so do not fall for this trick!
How Can I Find Out If a Phone Number is Legitimate?
The most reliable way to find out if a phone number is legit is to use phone lookup services like Intelius or Instant Checkmate. They are quite affordable and operate extremely massive databases, meaning that they will be able to give you background information about virtually any number.
How Can I Find Out If a Phone Number is From a Scammer for Free?
The only free way to find out if a phone number is a scam or not is to use Google. Simply type in the number in the search engine and look up the results. Many scammer phone numbers are listed in public directories that can be freely accessed by users. However, bear in mind that these directories are limited and not frequently updated. So, if your scammer is smart or the phone number hasn’t been reported, you likely won’t find it unless you use specialized services like one of the apps we’ve mentioned in this article.
What Is the IRS Scammer Number?
IRS (Internal Revenue Service) is a number used by CBP to identify the Ultimate Consignee.
There are 2 types of IRS numbers:
- Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Social Security Number (SSN)
While performing this scam, robo-callers call potential victims and request direct payment over the phone.
Pay attention that the real IRS will contact you over email first and will never ask you for your information. It has also happened that callers had the last four digits of your social security number already on hand.
If you’re not sure about the person who is dialing you, Call Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484 to check if the IRS is trying to contact you.