Fake Phone Numbers: What are They and How to Spot Them
Millions of people receive phone calls from unknown phone numbers daily, not knowing whether to answer these calls or not. Many of these phone calls are from fake phone numbers created by a fake phone number generator, making it difficult to spot numbers that could be fake, spam, or robocalls. As more and more people have installed apps to screen such calls, spoofers have had to get past this issue, and they have succeeded; nowadays, spam and scam callers use fake phone numbers that are not always detected as such by caller ID apps and other means of detection. So, how can you spot fake phone numbers and avoid getting scammed? Here are the answers:
Fake phone numbers – a nationwide pandemic
People these days are well aware of the telemarketing, fraud phone calls, and robocall phenomena where fraudsters call people to try and sell them a product/service or get individuals to give away their personal information. To get past caller ID apps, fraudsters and telemarketers have begun using caller ID spoofing and a fake phone number generator. These sneaky generators make it seem like a phone call is coming from a local number, thus increasing the chances of people answering calls.
Once people answer, the telemarketers and scammers have a bigger chance of convincing the person on the other side of the call to answer and fall victim to the scam. It is estimated that more than 100 billion unwanted calls are made every year, affecting both businesses and private consumers.
While many phone calls do not end in fraud, millions of people are affected by fake phone calls every year. The Federal Trade Commission has reported that in 2018 alone, Americans lost more than $1.48 billion due to phone scams. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fight robocalls and scam phone calls, so you must protect yourself by knowing how to tell apart a fake phone number and a real phone number/
How to spot a fake phone number
If you receive phone calls from local phone numbers that you do not recognize, do not answer the phone immediately. Instead, find out if the phone number is fake or real. Then, if the caller calls again, you will be able to know whether you should answer the call or not. Here is how you can discover if a phone number is fake or legitimate:
Perform a search engine lookup
This is a basic yet helpful method of spotting fake phone numbers; if you want to discover if a legitimate business called you, enter the phone number into a search engine of your choosing, like Google. Legitimate phone calls will usually appear first in the search results, while fake phone calls will not be associated with businesses. Also, if you suspect that a call was made from a fake phone number, other people might have reported it, which will also appear in search engine results.
Perform a reverse phone number search
A reverse phone number lookup, like the one available to you on ProPeopleSearch, will provide you with information about phone numbers, including their origin. Once you enter a phone number into the search engine, you will discover if it belongs to a business, a person, or if the phone number is unrecognizable – meaning it is a fake phone number.
Use a phone number validator
This helpful online tool allows you to find out if a phone number may be fake. All you have to do is enter the phone number in question, and the phone number validator will let you know how likely it is that the number is from a spam caller. Also, you will be able to discover the origin of the phone number and the name that is associated with it, allowing you to discover if it is a fake phone number.
Try a social media search
If you answered a phone call and the person on the other side claims to be calling you on the behalf of a company, you can search for the company's social media page or business page and discover if the phone number that called you matches the contact info of the company. If not, you can block the phone number or hang up to avoid getting scammed.
Fake phone numbers and the people who use them can cause a great deal of financial damage to people who are unaware of who is truly calling them. You can protect yourself, your personal information, and your assets by finding out who is really calling you and deciding what to do about the call.
