How to call a no caller ID back

“No caller ID” is when a caller chooses to hide their phone number. This usually happens when someone wants to hide their identity—whether for legitimate reasons or not. Being on the receiving end of one of these private-number calls can be troublesome, especially if you’re worried about missing an important call or someone is hiding behind no caller ID to harass you. 

In the latter case, you’ll want to block the caller. Unfortunately, you can’t do this with private numbers, but there are ways around this. In either case, you’ll need to uncover the number in question. We’ll go over all the ways you can do this below.

Mariam Volobueva

How to call back a private number

In short:

• Call back a private number by dialing *69 immediately after receiving the call. 
• Unmask and forward a no caller ID number to the police by dialing *57 immediately after receiving a threatening or harassing call. 
• Check your call log or activate a call-tracing service through your phone carrier.
• Download a third-party app that allows you to unmask no-caller-ID numbers and filter spam calls. 

Dial *69 to return a call

The quickest way to unmask and call back a private number is by using the *69 code, known as “call return” or “last call return.” True to its name, this code allows you to call back the last inbound call to your landline or cell phone, including private number calls. 

To use this feature, dial *69. On some devices, you may also have to press the call button. Once the number is revealed, you can call them back. If this method doesn’t work on your smartphone, check to make sure your keypad is set to touch tone and not pulse. 

Keep in mind that responding to spam calls or texts can be dangerous. We recommend you first do a quick Google search to check if it’s a number associated with scam calls. 

Check out our guide on how to identify scammers. 

Dial *57 for call tracing

For more serious cases, you can also dial *57 to trace unknown numbers on your landline or cell phone. Similar to *69, *57 lets you unmask and call back no-caller-ID numbers. Unlike *69, however, this method is best reserved for harassing or threatening calls. 

When you dial *57, you’ll hear a recorded message saying “You have successfully traced your last incoming call.” The information will then be logged and sent to your local police department or local law enforcement agency. You’ll have to get in touch with them to access the phone number and take legal action against the culprit. 

Check your phone service provider’s logs

Your phone company keeps logs of all your inbound and outbound calls. If you have unknown phone calls but it’s too late to use *69 or *57 (you’ve received or made calls since), you can contact your phone carrier to access your call records and call back a private number. 

Phone provider logs should include information such as the phone number, date, time, and duration of both incoming and outgoing calls. 

Not all call service providers offer the same call-tracing service. Depending on the phone company you use, access to these call records may fall under different services and come with additional fees. Make sure to check with your provider before using a call-tracing service to avoid unexpected charges. 

Use third-party apps to reveal a private number

Another option to unmask a private caller is downloading a third-party app such as TrueCaller. There are many apps on the market that allow you to trace no-caller-ID calls and filter out spam. 

Before you rush to download anything, though, keep in mind that this comes with some risks. These types of apps require access to your call logs (including your outgoing calls), messages, and contacts. In the wrong hands, such permissions can be a nightmare for your data privacy and security. 

Only download apps from trusted developers and make sure to check their data-privacy and security practices first. Your data should be protected with adequate security measures such as encryption, they shouldn’t be sharing your data with any third parties (aside from service providers), and the app shouldn’t be requesting permissions that don’t make sense. For example, a call-filtering app has no business accessing your emails or calendars. 

As a company focused on ensuring data privacy, we don’t recommend using third-party apps unless you have no other choice. And even then, using the utmost caution. 

How to hide your phone number

If you’re receiving a lot of spam calls or unwanted calls from unknown callers, unmasking them is only part of the solution. To fix the underlying problem, you’ll have to make your own phone number private. 

While many don’t consider phone numbers to be sensitive information, after all, you need them to sign up for almost every online service or account, they can lead bad actors to more of your personal information. And give them direct access to you. 

Here are some ways you can keep your phone number private:

• Dial *67 before the phone number when making calls to numbers you don’t know or trust. While it’s still possible to unmask your number (as we described above), it will deter many. 
• Adjust the settings on your Android phone or iPhone to hide your number. 
• Set up a private number through your carrier service. 
• Use a burner app to set up a phone number you use specifically for setting up and managing your online accounts and services. 
• Get a second phone number reserved for setting up and managing online accounts and services. 
• Remove your phone number from data broker databases and people search sites. This will prevent strangers, telemarketers, and other third parties from simply buying your phone number. You can also use a personal information service like Incogni to do this for you automatically. 

More tips to stay private and decrease unwanted calls

• How to find the number behind “no caller ID”
• How to hide your phone number when calling
• How to block “No Caller ID” on an iPhone
• How to call privately on iPhone: 4 easy methods
• Why are you getting so many spam calls all of a sudden?

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