There may be a number of reasons you would want to track international numbers. These vary from business optimisation to deal with phone harassment that is a crime. You are receiving obscene or threatening calls, which is a serious cause of concern. Sometimes you may receive a call just by error, but how do you know?.
Latest estimates from the International Telecommunication Union, the number of mobile users in the world exceeds 4 billion. With an increase in mobile numbers, odds for you receiving unsolicited messages and missed calls are on the rise. If it happens to you, there are ways to find out the location of the mobile phone from which the call was made.
To find the exact location of a mobile phone is only possible by checking the Visitor Location Register (VLR). The mobile phone network service providers maintain this database and do not make it publicly available due to privacy concerns. Therefore, it is currently not possible to locate a mobile phone’s exact location.
- Is Tracking Local or International Phone Numbers illegal
- Is it Possible to Track Calls from Private Numbers
- How People Make International Calls
- How to Track International Phone Number – 10 Best Tracking Sites
- Alternative Ways to Track International Phone Number
- Track International Phone Numbers: Things to Watch Out for
- Final Word
- Don't Miss It:
- Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tracking Local or International Phone Numbers illegal
As long as no physical thing such as a chip is inserted into a device for tracking purposes without the owner’s permission, it is perfectly okay to track a number.
Is it Possible to Track Calls from Private Numbers
There is no cause of concern if someone calls you from a hidden identity, especially on mobile phones. All you have to do is download an appropriate caller identification app from Apple Store if you are using iOS or Google Play if using Android. Truecaller is the most used caller identification service around the globe.
The app pulls down caller details in real-time. There is yet another method of unearthing the identity of spam callers. Just dial *69 which traces the number of the last people who called you, so you can get that person’s phone number.
How People Make International Calls
People can make international calls from any connected device such as cellular phones, mobile phones, fixed phones, satellite phones, landline phones, or from any other device that uses Skype, WhatsApp, or other similar applications. It is like making local calls but with a slight difference: the caller needs to add Country Calling Codes commonly known as International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) or International Direct Dialing (IDD).
The International Telecommunication Union is responsible for assigning these unique Country calling codes. These Country Calling Codes are categorised into 8 zones as part of an arrangement called the International Numbering Plan. The number of digits in the Country calling code varies from 1 to 5 based on the population of the zones or countries, their demand, and availability of the codes. North America, e.g., has a single-digit calling code due to its greater population and higher demand for international calls.
Increasing demand over time has forced some geographic regions to share the calling codes and some countries to have more than one calling code. The International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) greatly helps identify the caller’s location.
How to Track International Phone Number – 10 Best Tracking Sites
If you are on the lookout for easy ways to trace, redial, and conduct a reverse number search for an international phone number, there’s good news for you. A number of free sources are available online that can help you do precisely that.
Here are 10 easy ways to track international number:
1. Redial the Number
By pressing the Redial button, or dialing the number visible on your caller ID is the quickest and the easiest way to call back and ask
How to use it:
- Press the Redial button or manually dial the number
- Ask the caller
2. International Number Tracker
Is an online tool that you can use to track any international number.
How to use it:
- Visit Website: tracephonenumber
- Copy paste or manually enter the number with a ‘+’ suffix
- Detects country.
- Special services, satellite numbers, etc.
- Constantly updated.
- Doesn’t detect location and operator details for all countries.
3. Hacktrix
Allows you to track any phone number in India using an app. If you want an approximate location of the phone on Google maps, the app makes this possible.
How to use it:
- Visit Website: hacktrix
- Enter 10 digits mobile phone number.
- Detects operator.
- Detects approximate location on Google maps.
- Lost phone tracking, IMEI tracking, etc., not yet available.
4. International Numbering Plans
Specialises in global telecommunication numbering plans and offers many online services including phone number tracing free for limited use.
How to use it:
- Open this Website: numberingplans
- Manually enter the number in the format ‘+ country code fully qualified number’
- Checks whether the number is mobile or landline.
- Detects country.
- Detects operator.
- Detects city/ state/ exchange location.
- Doesn’t detect location details.
5. Country Dialing Codes
Is an online resource you can instantly use to track the origin of a phone call you received. There is a downloadable tool that provides telephone country codes, international area codes, and reverse lookups for every country
How to use it:
- Visit Website: countrycallingcodes
- Enter the country name from ‘call from’ or ‘call to’ drop-down lists
- Downloadable tool.
- Can be installed on your webpage.
- Choice of custom layouts.
- Limited information.
6. 411
Is an online resource that tracks numbers, people, addresses, and businesses in the USA. So, if you reside outside of the USA (or even within the USA) and are looking to track a number in the USA, this may be your preferred choice because of the detailed information that it provides
How to use it:
- Visit Website: 411
- Click reverse phone
- Type the number and press the search button
- Identifies name, age, location of the phone number owner.
- Provides people search.
- Provides business search.
- Reverse address.
- Detailed information is available only to US residents.
7. Thisnumber
Is the most comprehensive resource for finding phone numbers of people and businesses worldwide and reverse number lookup. Its database consists of 660 phone directories
How to use it:
- Visit Website: thisnumber
- Select country name from the drop-down list
- Choose directory
- Enter phone number
- Free & up-to-date information.
- Browse by area code facility (US only).
- Information is not standardized across countries or directories.
- Not all listed directories offer reverse number look-up.
8. Phone Location
Is the best choice for locating cellular phone numbers. The app has been launched in 150 regions around the world. You can use it for increasing business efficiency, parental control, search for lost devices, etc.
How to use it:
- Visit Website: phone-location
- Select the country from the drop-down list & enter a mobile number.
- Compatible with smartphones & tablets.
- Compatible with mainstream platforms such as iOS, Android & OS.
- No need to install additional software on the device.
- Limited availability.
9. Phone Number Tracker
Is a free app available on Google Play Store. The app tracks the calling phone number and identifies the city, state, and network. Its mobile number locator feature can locate any mobile number anywhere in the world. The app displays the current location of the caller’s device on maps using GPS technology.
How to use it:
- Install the app from Google Play Store
- Search phone caller’s location
- Block unknown and spam calls.
- Caller’s live location on maps.
- Built in compass for greater accuracy.
- None.
10. World Phone Tracker
Is another online tool that tracks international phone numbers. It combines a number of sophisticated tracking technologies available to track phone numbers.
How to use it:
- Visit Website: worldphonetracker
- Select country and enter phone number
- Latest technologies.
- Minimal delay in presenting results.
- Works only on Adobe Flash Player enabled devices.
- Margin of error varies from 10 – 50 square meters.
Alternative Ways to Track International Phone Number
If none of the above methods works for you, then the only choice you are left with is to hire a private investigator. Many private investigators are well equipped with the skills and international resources to identify a phone number.
Finding an expert private investigator is not difficult – contact your local professional private investigators association and they’ll help you
Track International Phone Numbers: Things to Watch Out for
I am listing below a few things that you should always keep in mind when you are tracking international phone numbers:
- The first thing to watch for is whether you receive a call from a known number or from a hidden identity. This is easy. If it is from a known number, the Caller Line Identification (CLI) feature of your network service will display the number on the screen of your phone. Otherwise, it will show messages such as ‘Unknown number’ or ‘Private number’. The procedures to track both types of numbers will differ.
- Make sure that the resource you are using to track international numbers covers a large number of regions or countries. There are some sites that provide more detailed info but cover only a few markets such as 411.com gives details about US numbers only.
- If you are a business, you surely want your details to appear in the business listings which typically include the business’s name, address, and phone number. If you, for fear of spam calls, or for whatever reason, choose to take your phone number away from the listings, you’ll do so at the risk of lowering your ranking on search engines as most search engines do not prefer incomplete information in business listings and tend to ignore such businesses.
- The ethical issues of tracking human mobility using mobile phone technology are becoming a subject of great academic debate nowadays. Everyone hates to be monitored for one’s daily movements by others. The principles of morality clearly say ‘treat others as you would like to be treated yourself’, thus, one should be cautious to track caller number only when absolutely necessary.
- You shouldn’t ignore when you keep getting calls from an unknown local or international number for it could be an old friend of yours or a family member who is trying to reach you. Just track it for a pleasant surprise.
Final Word
There are situations when it becomes vitally important to not only know the number you receive a call from but also have more detailed information about the possible caller. Technology has made lives much easier. Now a number of sites, tools, and apps are available which can track international numbers as well as local ones. Still, this is not without its limitations. Identifying caller identity is much easier when you receive calls from mobile services than when from landlines.
The exact location of a phone is still not possible due to privacy laws and concerns but an approximate location can still be identified.
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