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How to find out who’s behind a 'No Caller ID'

·Fred Decker for Spokeo

An identity theft investigator tracks an unknown number calling and possibly hacking a smartphone. — Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
An identity theft investigator tracks an unknown number calling and possibly hacking a smartphone. — Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

How to find out who’s behind a ‘No Caller ID’

Caller ID has been around for a surprisingly long time — the initial patents , with commercial use starting in 1984. And for most of us, it would feel strange to pick up a call without knowing who’s on the other end, or at least, what their number is.

Nowadays, almost any incoming call is going to have caller ID on by default, but that doesn’t stop some from popping up as If you keep getting these calls and want to get to the bottom of who’s behind them, shares what you need to know.

Using *69 To Identify the Last Incoming Call

The first thing you’ll need to pay attention to is what your phone said when the call came through. If a call comes through to your phone with no name or number, your first and easiest option is going to be using *69, which triggers the return-last-call feature.

How to use *69:

You’ll simply want to dial *69 on your phone and press call.

By dialing *69, some telephone systems will prompt an automated response that reads you the number of your last incoming call and then offers you the option of calling back. Note that other carriers, however, will simply connect you directly to the number that phoned you last. This may be a deterrent for some people, as you risk automatically being put on a call with someone you likely don’t know. An additional downside to using *69 is that it only works for the last incoming call, so it’s ineffective if you’ve received another call at some point after the “No Caller ID.”

Using *57 To Trace Calls

If you’ve been receiving harassing or threatening phone calls or , the *57 service code provides another way to find out who called you. Note this feature is known as call trace and is often pay-per-use, meaning that your service provider will charge you a certain amount upon use. Running a *57 trace can cost anywhere from $1 to $10 and is generally only charged if the call trace is successful, though that can vary depending on your provider.

How to use *57:

To use the service, dial *57 right after you receive the call and press call. Follow the phone company’s voice-prompt instructions and wait to see if the trace was successful. A recorded message will let you know. It won’t always work, but it’s worth a try if you’re being harassed.

Note that by dialing *57, you won’t be directly given any information; rather, your service provider will keep a record of who called and release the information to law enforcement should you contact your local authorities to follow up on the call. Again, this feature isn’t free, and is best used when you are being harassed, threatened, or in some way targeted, rather than just out of curiosity’s sake.

Enable Call Identification and Blocking

Caller ID is pretty much a default setting with modern cell phones. But if every call you receive (minus the ones from your contacts) appears to be a mystery, it’s worth double-checking that you have certain caller ID features enabled, as well as some call blocking features.

How to Enable Call Identification on iPhone:

  1. Open your settings.
  2. Select “Apps.”
  3. Find the “Phone” app on the list and select it
  4. Scroll down and select “Call Blocking & Identification.”
  5. Turn “Business Call Identification” to “On.”
  6. Bonus: You can also reduce annoying spam calls by enabling “Silence Junk Callers” in the same menu.

Note that you can also enable “Silence Unknown Callers” from the same menu after step 3, but it isn’t advisable since it might block completely legitimate calls, nor will it help you find out who keeps calling.

How to Enable Call Identification on Android:

  1. Open the Phone app.
  2. Select “More options” (it might also just appear as three vertical dots).
  3. Select “Settings.”
  4. Select “Caller ID and Spam.”
  5. Turn “See caller ID & spam” to “On.”
  6. Bonus: On some phones, you can also limit spam calls by enabling “Filter spam calls” in the same menu (certain phones will have this as part of an automatic Call Screen feature, so don’t worry if you don’t see it).

Contact Your Service Provider

If no built-in phone features seem to be helping, and *57 isn’t returning any successful traces, a last resort could be to contact your service provider directly. It’s not a guarantee they can help, but in the case of severe spam or harassing calls, working with your service provider might help shed some light on who’s on the other end of the line — or at the very least, help find an identifiable phone number.

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