Who called me? Look up a phone number

Look up the number that called you to see where it's registered and its unverified community signal, learn how spoofing works, and stop spam calls.

Why the area code alone won't tell you who called

A caller-ID number only shows where a line is registered, not who is calling. Caller ID can be spoofed — software can make any number appear, often a local one in your own area code ("neighbor spoofing") so you're more likely to answer. So a familiar area code is not proof a call is safe, and an unfamiliar one is not proof it's a scam. Judge the call by what it asks for, and look up the full number rather than the area code.

Red flags of a phone scam

  • Urgency or threats — "act now or you'll be arrested / your account is closed."
  • Requests for payment in gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
  • Callers claiming to be the IRS, Social Security, your bank, or "tech support."
  • Pressure to confirm a one-time code, password, or full Social Security number.

How to stop spam calls

Don't answer unknown numbers — let them go to voicemail. Block persistent callers, turn on your carrier's free spam filtering, register at donotcall.gov, consider a call-blocking app, and report unwanted calls to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Got a text instead of a call?

Scam texts (smishing) come from 5- or 6-digit short codes or ordinary numbers. Use the short code lookup to see who a 5–6 digit sender belongs to, or read the guides to the most-impersonated senders: USPS package texts, Amazon order texts, Wells Fargo texts, unpaid-toll texts, and IRS texts. Forward any scam text to 7726 (SPAM).

Explore the FTC complaint data

See the phone numbers reported most in FTC Do Not Call complaints, and the most-reported area codes (and why a "scam area code" is mostly a myth).

Browse area codes · By state & province

Sourced from the official NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator) numbering database, current as of August 2, 2026. Refreshed monthly.