In times that seem phishing and malware URL scanner ancient history, your phone number was a semi-permanent piece of personal information. But now that cell phones have taken the place of landlines and people change their phone numbers more frequently, there is a gap in the availability of that info that makes it easier for criminals to hide behind calls or texts for fraudulent or even malicious purposes.
Hackers can use your phone number as a digital master key to access your online accounts, request and intercept password resets and 2FA codes, and bombard you with spam calls. There are also risks associated with someone having your phone number that are less obvious, such as being doxxed (exposed without your permission on the dark web) or engaging with a spoofed call or autodial system that confirms to scammers that your phone is active.
Why Businesses Rely on Mobile Carrier Identification APIs
Unlike your name or address, there is no centralized database where people can go to search for your phone number. You can find your own phone number in a variety of places, including social media sites, old websites or petitions you signed or apps that have long since been forgotten. This linkage can follow you across the internet and even to your bank account, if you have given your number to those platforms.
The good news is that there are ways to trace a restricted caller or a call that didn’t display on your screen (also known as an unknown or no-caller ID call). Checking call logs, utilizing third-party apps, reporting threatening calls to your carrier or law enforcement, and contacting a private investigator who uses specialized proprietary databases for skip tracing or for investigations may help you uncover the real number of a suspicious or threatening caller.