How to Trace a UK Mobile or Landline Telephone Number

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Last Updated: August 11, 2023 Fact Checked

Receiving a mysterious call or text can be a frustrating or even frightening experience! If the mystery person has a phone number from the UK, performing a reverse phone number lookup can give you lots of information about their identity. This wikiHow article will show you simple ways to find out who a UK phone number belongs to, identify its mobile network, and trace the number to its owner's name or business.

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This code will lookup the number of the last person that called you. This may be able to bypass blocked numbers.^{[1]
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Since UK cell numbers start with 07, you can easily determine whether or not the caller is calling you from a landline. If so, you may be able to find the number in the white pages or, at least, narrow down to a city or region by area code. Mobile numbers, however, aren’t stored in a directory and will require more research.^{[2]
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A Google search can help if the number belongs to a public company or organization. It's not a guarantee, but it's a good first place to start. If you don't find anything on Google, try some other search engines, like Yahoo!, Bing, and others.
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Try a reverse phone lookup service. These services search through public records such as voter registration to find matching phone numbers. None of these services are free, however. You'll likely need to pay to perform a search using them. Popular reverse lookup services include:^{[3]
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- 192.com
- FreeFindPeopleUK.co.uk
There's a very good chance that any site that claims to track phone numbers is a scam. The only way that you can legally trace a number is by matching it with public records. Beyond that, only the authorities can trace numbers.^{[4]
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. If you are regularly receiving nuisance calls from the same number, you can report it to British Telecom. Oftentimes this will allow you to resolve the issue without getting the police involved. Call 0800 661 441 to report nuisance calls to BT.^{[5]
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Contact a private investigator. You can hire a private investigator if you've hit a dead end. Be aware that the investigator will only be able to search through public sources as well. These services aren't cheap, but can be much more thorough than a reverse phone lookup service. You may be able to find an investigator that will guarantee results or you get a refund. Many require an upfront payment with no guarantee.
- Some private investigators will only take the case if the results are to be used in a legal case.
If you are getting harassed by an unknown number, you can report it to the authorities. Law enforcement personnel may be able to trace the phone number. Usually they will only do so if it is part of a larger case. You can find the contact information for your local police department at police.uk.^{[6]
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If you need to prevent a number from constantly harassing you, your carrier should be able to block it. This will prevent the number from being able to reach you. Different carriers have different blocking policies. Contact your carrier's Customer Service department for details.

Community Q&A

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Question

How can I tell if someone has blocked me from calling or texting them from my mobile phone?

Community Answer

It will go straight on to answerphone. Try calling from a different number.

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Question

What can I do about harassing calls?

Community Answer

If you are getting calls from the same number over and over, you can have your carrier block the number, or block it directly from some smart phones. If the number is showing as Blocked or Unknown, you'll need to contact your carrier so that they can determine the number and block it for you.

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What are the chances of me actually being able to trace a number?

Community Answer

Realistically, there's very little you can do beyond searching for a number in public records and hoping for results. Phone tracing is not available to civilians, and only law enforcement and phone carriers have the ability to do it. Phone tracing equipment for private use is highly illegal.

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