There are many ways to find out who owns a specific VoIP number. The best ways to find the owner of a VoIP number include:
- Doing a reverse phone lookup
- Using the VoIP service provider
- CNAM lookup
- Setting your device to show the caller ID
- Using a softphone or hard phone
- Using the domain
- IP address lookup
Being able to figure out where a VoIP call is from is very useful. These calls are very popular today, mainly because they allow you to communicate over the internet. The global reach of VoIP calls is impressive, the necessary component is internet connectivity, and you can reach anyone. Moreover, VoIP calls offer conference calling, making it lucrative for businesses with partners abroad that need to meet over the phone. This saves them a lot in terms of international call rates.
With the broad application of VoIP, there are bound to be phone calls from unidentified numbers. These unidentified phone numbers might be from a business partner, supplier, potential customer, or just anyone. Finding out who the caller is vital. The problem is VoIP will only show you the caller ID of the unidentified number but will not tell you who the owner of the number is. This requires you to trace the VoIP phone number.
Can a VoIP number be traced?
Tracing fixed and non fixed VoIP number
If you really want to trace a VoIP number, then it can be done. It may require resources and involve some technical aspects, but it can be done. The caller ID alone is insufficient to tell you who owns a VoIP number. One of the two VoIP identifiers is the caller ID; the other identifier is the CNAM. The caller ID is the number displayed on the phone when there is an incoming call. The thing with the caller ID is that it can be faked very easily. Anyone with malicious intentions can make a call using a fake caller ID. This makes tracing the origin of a VoIP number with only the caller ID very elusive.
CNAM, on the other hand, is very hard to forge. However, CNAM is usually not displayed; the receiver only sees the caller ID. A lot of people, therefore, do not even bother with CNAM.
So we have established that VoIP phone numbers can be traced, and we have highlighted how that can be done. Now we discuss how to find the owner of a VoIP number in detail.
Doing a reverse phone lookup
The reserve phone lookup or reserve phone detective technique uses different online applications to find the owner registered to the phone line. There are many applications that can do a reverse phone lookup online. Most of the applications are free and only require the caller ID. Ones the caller ID is input in their search engine, they show you the owner almost instantly.
These tools are, without a doubt, the most efficient way of tracing a VoIP or a landline phone number. It is fast, and the results are impressive as it gives you the owner or the name and the address in most cases.
As mentioned, most of the reverse phone detectives are free, but for the few that charge, the fee is less than one dollar.
There is also an option for people that have a huge list of numbers and want to do a bulk search. The option to go for here is the batch append service. The batch append works the same way as the reverse phone lookup, but the advantage is you can search a lot of numbers. This is very useful for bulk searches.
Using the VoIP service provider
The VoIP service provider can also help you identify the owner of a VoIP phone number. The only information you would need for this is the caller ID and the time of the specific call. The VoIP service provider will then find the owner of the number for you.
This method, however, has a limitation. The owner of the unidentified phone number should have a registered IP address or caller ID, which they use to make calls. This means that someone who does not want to be identified, such as a fraudster, would probably use a fake or a third party IP, thereby rendering this process ineffective. But if the owner is not hiding, then the VoIP service provider would identify them easily.
CNAM lookup to find the owner of a VoIP number
This CNAM lookup method only works if you have a VoIP number. If you are not registered to a VoIP service provider, chances are they would not do a CNAM lookup for you.
Since the caller ID can easily be faked, the VoIP service provider would require you to provide the CNAM or the IP address of the number you are looking for. Even if the caller ID has been faked, the CNAM lookup tool can help you get the CNAM information of a particular phone number. If you have the necessary technical and coding skills, then you can do a CNAM query of your own. Whatever the case, a CNAM lookup will definitely help you identify the owner of a VoIP number.
A CNAM lookup cannot just be done randomly. If you go to the VoIP service provider to help you find the owner of a number, you must provide a reasonable justification as to why you want to conduct this trace. If you have been receiving threatening calls, prank calls or spam calls, for example, and you want to know who is behind it. Otherwise, they cannot trace a number for the sake of it.
Setting your device to show the caller ID and CNAM
This is an important first step of tracing a VoIP phone number. Since most of the processes of tracing a VoIP number involve using the caller ID or the CNAM, you should first have this information. The best way of getting these two information is by setting your device to display them.
When you have the original number, tracing the owner is much simpler. This original number is in two parts. The first part is the caller ID, which is usually the default number you see when someone makes a call. The second part of the number is the caller ID name or the CNAM. This is the most useful one when tracing the owner or a phone number. Unfortunately, the CNAM is not displayed by default. To get the caller ID name to display, you have to configure your phone to do so.
This configuration can be a little technical, but there are numerous online websites and resources that help you set your device to display the caller ID name.
Using a softphone or hard phone to trace the owner of a VoIP number
There is a way of tracing the owner of a VoIP phone number when connected with a server or proxy and using a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) softphone or hard phone.
If you have a softphone, you can install a packet analyzer on your device and add a SIP filter. After the right set up, it will show you the IP information of the caller.
If you are using a hard phone, you can use a packet analyzer on your local server or router and filter for hard phone SIP and IP. By the use of an Internet Telephony Service Provider, you can trace the number on your own. You just need to download a Secure ShELL (SSH) and run the trace command.
Using the domain to trace the VoIP phone number
Every incoming call in a VoIP is logged in your phone as either a VoIP address or as the mapped number. The format of the VoIP address usually includes the domain name, and with this, tracing the IP address of the owner of the phone number becomes easy.
IP address lookup to trace a VoIP number
Having the IP address of a VoIP number will help you determine the owner of a VoIP phone number. An IP address lookup can help you with the trace. The information you get might not be as detailed as doing a reverse phone lookup, but it still works for some cases.
The data you will get from an IP address lookup include the location of the IP address, the domain name, and the internet service provider. These are enough clues to work with to further investigate the owner of the phone number. IP address lookup will work, but it is a lot of work.
Conclusion on finding the owner of a VoIP number
Tracing the owner of a VoIP number can be very easy or very difficult, depending on whether the owner wants to be found or not. In most cases, if the owner is a legitimate business or client, then tracing, it will be very easy, and free.
However, if the number is proving difficult to trace and there is a legitimate need to find the owner, the authorities can be involved. If they see you need worth it, they can deploy their own special investigative skills to find the owner of the VoIP number.
