What can someone do with your phone number

Anyone can learn your phone number.

Just check people search sites like Whitepages, Truthfinder, or any other.

The natural question that comes to mind is, “What can someone do with my phone number?”

Learn more about what people can do with your cell number, how to protect yourself, and how to remove your number from the internet.

Let’s dive in.

What can people do with your phone number

In short:

• Scam you using various phishing techniques to gain your account credentials or extort payments.
• Spoof your number to make scam calls to other people, including your loved ones.
• Trace your full identity to sell it online or use it for identity theft.
• Hijack your SIM card to reset passwords on your financial accounts, and more.
• Use your data for identity theft, including opening new credit or bank accounts.

In addition, someone could also dox your phone number by sharing it with other websites and people, thereby increasing the risk of you being targeted for fraud.

Want to learn more?

Read on for a more exhaustive analysis.

1. Scam calls, phishing attempts, and other baiting methods

Threat:	How to deal with:	Likelihood:
Medium / high	Ignore and block	Very high

One of the first things scammers can do if they have your number is lure you into their schemes.

This type of deception—persuading you to give out information or perform some action—is likely one of the most common forms of online fraud.

It can manifest in several ways, such as vishing, smishing, or spam calls.

Scammers may try to:

• Blackmail you or extort information via text messages.
• Send you malicious links to access your phone, passwords, or other data.
• Trick you into sending them money.
• Deceive you into exposing your personal information and account credentials.

The list could go on—scammers are constantly developing new techniques.

These baits may seem very convincing at first, and they don’t always ask for money directly.

But here’s the crucial point—

All of these methods rely on your response to succeed.

If you ignore those calls and messages, the scammers are powerless.

What should you do if your phone is being targeted with phishing attempts?

• Ignore, block, and report any suspicious messages or calls.
• Look for spam-blocking apps provided by your mobile carrier.
• Block any private or restricted incoming calls and messages on your phone.

You could also install dedicated spam-blocking apps on your mobile device, but be aware that this software often collects (and shares) your data as well.

Not sure where to start?

No worries, we’ve got you covered with this guide on how to block spam calls and texts.

2. Spoof your number and use it to scam call people

Threat:	How to deal with:	Likelihood:
Low	Wait it out	Very high

Spoofing is similar to impersonation.

Scammers can hijack your caller ID and use it to make calls.

For the recipients, however, it will be your number that appears. As a result, you could be mistakenly associated with the scam attempt.

And if scammers target your loved ones, spoofing your number could lower their guard, making your family members more susceptible to scams.

Scammers can spoof your number to:

• Convince your relatives or friends to send money or disclose personal information.
• Make scam calls to hundreds of people in your neighborhood.
• Send out text messages containing malware and spyware.
• Impersonate you.

Spoofing has become more common in recent years, and unfortunately, there isn’t a foolproof way to stop it.

What can you do if your number has been spoofed?

• Alert your loved ones so they won’t be deceived by scammers’ tricks.
• Consider updating your voicemail to explain that your number has been spoofed in case strangers try to call you back.
• Wait it out—most spoofs last only a couple of hours.

Here’s a more detailed overview of how to stop number spoofing.

3. Do a reverse phone lookup to learn your complete identity

Threat:	How to deal with:	Likelihood:
High	Remove your data from the internet	Medium / high

Your phone number may not be the end goal. It could just be a stepping stone to a bigger target.

The internet is filled with people search sites—these websites specialize in scraping your personal data from the web and selling it to anyone willing to pay around $20.

With just your number, fraudsters can trace back to your entire identity.

But it gets even worse—

People search sites often display information about your relatives as well.

This creates a risk for both you and your loved ones.

What can scammers get just by looking up your number?

• Learn your entire identity (name, surname, age).
• Find out where you live and work.
• See your medical and criminal records.
• Discover who is related to you.
• Even get to know your sexual orientation.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

You probably wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing that information with colleagues, not to mention fraudsters.

So, here’s the question: 

How can you prevent scammers from discovering your identity?

• Remove your information from the public databases of people search sites and the private databases of data brokers.
• Regularly check public databases for your information, and request removal if it reappears.
• Alternatively, automate the removal and monitoring process by subscribing to a specialized service like Incogni.

Here’s a quick guide on how to check if someone is using your identity

People search sites and data brokers gather your data without your consent, but you can opt-out and request the removal of your profile.

Typically, this process takes about 10 to 15 minutes per website.

But there’s a catch—

There are hundreds of these sites.

Opting out of all these sites by yourself is time-consuming, not to mention keeping an eye on them to ensure your data doesn’t reappear.

Consider signing up for Incogni.

4. Perform a SIM–swap to take control of your number

Threat:	How to deal with:	Likelihood:
Very high	Contact the mobile service provider	Very low

If a fraudster manages to collect your personal data, they can attempt to hijack your SIM card.

Mobile carriers can seamlessly transfer your phone number to a different SIM card if requested. 

This is usually done when a card is stolen, you switch operators, or upgrade your card.

SIM swap fraud exploits vulnerabilities in identity verification methods during such procedures.

Armed with your personal information, fraudsters can initiate the process of changing SIM cards at your mobile carrier to impersonate you.

If they succeed, your SIM card is deactivated, and all data associated with it—such as your phone number, contacts, and service—gets transferred to a new SIM card owned by the scammer.

As a result of a SIM swap, fraudsters:

• Gain control over your phone number.
• Access your contacts, messages, calls, and more.
• Receive all incoming calls and messages.

In essence, it’s as if you handed them your phone.

The consequences can be dire: scammers can change passwords to your existing accounts and even open new ones.

Can you protect yourself from SIM swaps?

You can’t completely safeguard yourself from a SIM swap, but you can take preventive measures:

• Secure your personal information online, for example, by using strong passwords and implementing multi-factor authentication.
• Remove your data from the internet to make it harder for scammers to target you.
• Enable notifications for any changes to your mobile service account.
• Contact your service provider immediately if you notice any unusual activity related to your mobile account, such as requests to change SIM cards.

5. Use your data for identity theft

Threat:	How to deal with:	Likelihood:
Very high	Report to the police or FTC	Low

SIM swapping is just one type of fraud. Unfortunately, fraudsters can use many other methods to exploit your data.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was the most frequently reported cybercrime in 2023.

Estimates indicate that about 20% of Americans have fallen victim to some form of identity theft at least once in their lifetime.

And the risks of identity theft are high.

Scammers can use your data to:

• Open new credit, bank, or other online accounts in your name.
• Misuse your existing accounts.
• Hack into your social media and email accounts.
• Use your medical benefits.
• Commit address or tax fraud.

And more.

Your phone number alone is not enough to commit a serious crime.

However, it can be used to track down your full identity. This can pose a significant threat of identity theft.

Unfortunately, there is no tool to protect against identity theft. 

Your best defense is to keep your data from the hands of others, e.g., by removing it from the internet.

If you suspect someone has illegally used your identity, file a police report and contact the Federal Trade Commission to determine the next steps.

6. Other things people can do with your phone number

The list above highlights some of the most common and severe risks of sharing your phone number too freely.

However, the list isn’t exhaustive. 

There are other ways people can exploit your cell phone number:

• Doxxing: Distributing your number among others—often within a community of scammers, on social media platforms, and the like. This could lead to harassment on your social media accounts or even make you a target of scams.
• Rerouting your calls and messages: Some hackers might be able to intercept the communication between you and your mobile operator, hijacking your phone calls and messages.
• Google Voice scams: Scammers could use your mobile phone number to set up a Google Voice account and then sell the associated number on the dark web.

What to do if a scammer has your phone number

Should you immediately change your phone number if it falls into the hands of a scammer?

No.

Your number isn’t exactly top-secret. It’s often listed on public websites and easily found through people search sites. It has also likely been compromised several times before.

If you changed your phone number every time it fell into the wrong hands, you might find yourself doing it almost every week.

However, it doesn’t mean you should stay idle.

If you’re confident that a scammer has your number, follow these guidelines:

• Stay vigilant for any unusual messages or phone calls from unknown numbers. 

Scammers may use phishing tactics on you. If you notice anything suspicious—like text messages with links, requests for payments, or failed delivery notifications—your best course of action is to ignore, block, and report such numbers.

• Don’t call back unknown numbers. 

Scammers often use a tactic known as the “one-ring call” to lure you into calling back. Falling for this can result in extremely high charges. It also signals to the scammer that your number is active, making you a target for more scams.

• Never click on links in SMS texts from unknown senders. 

These are often smishing attempts, where scammers send messages urging you to take some action (like changing a delivery address, confirming a payment, resolving a debt, or claiming a prize) by clicking a provided link. Always avoid opening such links.

• Activate the “block private/restricted calls” feature on your phone if available. 

Scammers sometimes use restricted numbers to make it harder for you to block them. Some phones offer the option to block all calls from unknown numbers.

• Consider installing spam-blocking apps offered by your mobile service provider. 

Most mobile carriers have developed their own apps for blocking spam calls. Having one may effectively pull the plug on scammers’ efforts.

• Remove your personal data from the internet. 

Scammers can access your full identity just by knowing your phone number, increasing the risk of identity theft. 

To prevent this, ensure your information is not shared online, for instance, on people search sites. You can opt out manually or subscribe to a professional removal service like Incogni.

• Secure your online accounts with two-factor authentication (2FA) and strong passwords. 

Scammers might attempt to steal your identity to misuse or open new bank and credit accounts. Protect yourself by enabling 2FA and updating your passwords to more secure ones.

• Consider freezing your accounts at the three major credit bureaus. 

If scammers use your phone number to ascertain your identity, you could be vulnerable to credit fraud. Consider freezing your credit files at Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This will prevent fraudsters from opening new accounts in your name.

Stacking it all up

Having your personal data stolen or breached is a grave threat.

Some people make a living through fraud and scam atatcks—the more your information is out there, the more likely they will target you.

But there’s some good news here.

Your number is not enough to pose a serious threat.

Today’s standards of security and verification require more than just cell phone numbers to crack an online account. One can’t do much with only the number.

So—

If you’ve accidentally given your number to someone with dubious intentions, you don’t need to change your cell phone just yet.

But here’s the tricky part.

Your phone number could be just one element in a much larger scheme—even identity theft.

You can never know for sure, so it’s better to assume the worst could happen.

Someone is using my phone number: FAQ