It is useful to know which telephone operator the client has chosen and in which region. Then you can break up your client base geographically and avoid calling at night. Or carry out promotions together with operators. And some of our customers save money: for each operator they choose the cheapest SMS aggregator.
That’s why Dadata has been finding an operator by phone number for a long time. The algorithm is simple - make it and use it. Only in 2013, when, oh, we had to slightly adjust the process. In this article I will tell you how everything works for us.
There is a big difficulty in the process - getting access to the database of ported numbers. It is not issued to individuals, and it will be difficult for companies. More on this in a separate section.
Is number punching legal?
Providing a phone number in Russia and other former CIS countries may be illegal . For example, if the identification of the number is carried out by an employee of a mobile operator or bank, who uses secure databases for this.
Penetration of cell numbers by employees of banks or operators threatens with a real criminal sentence. From time to time, news appears in the media that another employee of a large bank or operator is caught red-handed while trying to transfer confidential information to third parties. This is a very common story.
In 2022, 49 sentences . In most cases, the police caught the perpetrators. Those who, for a certain amount, punch out numbers and transfer information to an anonymous organizer. The latter are usually beyond the reach of authorities, so the market for illegal number punching is thriving .
But there are also completely legal ways to punch numbers. They allow you to find out a lot of information, but will not even be punished by a warning from law enforcement agencies. It is these legal methods that we talked about in this article.
To the content.
Check if the number has gone to another operator
If you have access to the official database of ported numbers, then it’s easy.
We check whether the subscriber has changed the operator, throwing off the shackles of “mobile slavery”. The Institute of Communications uploads the BDPN to the SFTP server, in three folders.
The first folder contains a complete reference book. The second includes incremental updates. And the third stores the numbers returned to the “owners”
- PortAllNew
folder contains the full version of the directory. This is one file that is updated daily at 00:00 Moscow time; - PortIncrementNew
- for incremental updates. Every two hours a file with the latest transferred numbers is added here; - ReturnIncrementNew
are numbers that were returned to the “owners” according to the Rossvyaz numbering plan. Here, too, a new file appears every two hours.
Inside the folders, data for all operators of all regions is stored without dividing into files. The files are needed to differentiate between updates.
The date and time of the update are inserted into the name of the increments. If you want to receive ported numbers as quickly as possible, here you go. If there is no urgency, it’s easier to download the full directory once a day
The file format is CSV compressed in ZIP. Inside, it couldn’t be simpler.
There are three fields in directory files: number, operator and number of lines. Moreover, the third field is filled in only for the first line - an elegant solution
The BDPN does not store history: every day all transferred numbers are uploaded to the server. If the phone is not in the full directory or in the daily increments, then it is subject to the Rossvyaz plan. Therefore, for our purposes, the folder with the returned numbers is ReturnIncrementNew
- need not.
Every day we download fresh BDPN from the server. Any SFTP client is suitable for this: WinSCP or FileZilla FTP Client is suitable for Windows, Nautilus is suitable for Ubuntu. The classic mistake in this case is to leave the default FTP in the settings instead of the default SFTP. You can suffer like this for a long time, don’t repeat our mistakes.
When the directory of ported numbers is at hand, all that remains is to look for the number being studied in it. Option two:
- The number was found in the BDPN. In this case, we change the operator from the Rossvyaz plan to a new one;
- the number is not in the BDPN - we leave the operator as is.
That's all the wisdom.
Search the phone number in search engines
Almost any number can be fully searched on the Internet. So much so that you can find out not only various personal information about the owner, but also get his photo.
It’s best to start punching with a banal query in search engines. This will allow you to quickly determine whether the number belongs to any public organizations or scammers.
There is only one secret to getting numbers through Google and Yandex search engines. Look for a number in three formats:
- 89xxxxxxxxx
- 79xxxxxxxxx
- +7 (9xx) xxx-xx-xx
Websites typically ask users to enter numbers in one of these formats. Therefore, searching for each of them is the most effective.
What should you pay attention to in search engine results? For any information that differs from the basic information known about each number. On the first page of search results there may be reviews about the number from other people, websites of organizations to which the numbers belong, and even pages from social networks.
If you couldn’t find anything concrete, then the main thing is not to get upset. This is only the first way. The following methods will definitely help you learn more about a person.
To the content.
Installing the application on your phone
You can install caller ID from Yandex on an Android phone for OS version 6.0 and higher. To do this, the user needs:
- Find the Yandex application with Alice for Android in Google Play Market.
- Click the Install button (distributed free of charge).
- After automatic downloading to your smartphone, select the Open button.
The program will appear in the device menu and will be ready for use. Software in Russian.
Find a number via Viber and WhatsApp
Viber and WhatsApp messengers are powerful tools for finding additional information about a number. Both messengers store usernames and their photos in a virtually open format. To gain access to them, you just need to add the number as a contact in the messenger.
The dialed subscriber will not know anything . Adding a person to your contact book is silent. Moreover, you don’t need to directly add a contact. You just need to start adding. The person's name and profile photo will be shown before the contact is confirmed.
A simple message through the messenger, and now you have the person’s name and his photo in your hands. This information is enough to find a person on social networks by name and city. A successful search can also be performed using photos in similar services to FindFace, for example, FindClone .
To the content.
Name, appearance and pages on social networks. WhatsApp and Telegram will help
If you save a number in your contacts, profiles linked to it will appear in messengers.
If you save a number in your contacts, its pages will become available in Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram. As a rule, the user signs the pages with his name.
If there is a photo of him on his profile, you can use it to find his pages on social networks and photos in other people’s albums.
All you need to do is download the photo and upload it to Google Image Search (uploading is only available from computers!). The service will display the name of the person in the photo and links to his social media accounts.
Another option for finding a person by photo is Findclone. We upload a photo on it and get the person’s page on VKontakte and pictures of him on the pages of other people.
Findclone searches for a person using photos on VKontakte.
However, the user can limit the availability of these photos, and then the method will not work.
In instant messengers and social networks, you can change privacy settings so that people not included in the person’s contact list do not see his photo, phone number and activity. For example, on VKontakte you can close your profile. Then Findclone will not find the owner of the page based on the photo.
Check through Sberbank Online
It’s rare, but it happens that a person is not in any of the messengers. Then the Sberbank Online application can help you find out his first name, patronymic and first letter of his last name.
Here you need to start making a money transfer using your phone number. Select 1 ruble as the transfer amount. However, even a ruble will not be debited from your account. There is no need to confirm the transfer.
After entering the phone number for the transfer, the Sberbank Online service will show the recipient’s first name, patronymic and first letter of the last name. Of course, if a person has a Sberbank card.
To the content.
Dial a phone number using special services
More detailed information about the number can be found through special web services. Just go to the website, enter a phone number and get additional information about a person or organization.
Reviews of the room are left by other users. Using such web services, it is especially effective to identify calls from scammers, call centers, banks or mobile operators. People complain about them very actively.
What services should I use? There are four best for CIS countries:
- who-calling.rf
- zvonkoff.net
- zvonili.com
- neberitrubku.ru
Each site contains a huge database of numbers with reviews from users. All services are free and do not require money or registration to access.
Of course, with the help of such services it is impossible to find out the identity of the caller, as is the case with other methods. However, they often make it possible to determine which company or organization the number belongs to. Need to use it .
To the content.
Person's location. We break through on a special website
Enter the number in a special line, and the site displays information about the registration of the number.
Specialized services have been created to identify spam. A lot of them. For example, one of these is who-calls.rf.
It will provide information about a possible spam call, as well as where the SIM card is registered.
Service data from who-calling.rf. Operator, region where the SIM card is registered, reviews.
Enter the last 10 digits (without +7) in the special field on the site. The service will display: the operator, the region in which the number is registered, reviews of other users who have previously encountered it.
It is unknown where this service gets its data from. Therefore use at your own risk .
Search for a number on social networks
Nowadays, few people are not registered on social networks. It’s no wonder that searching for a number on social networks often turns out to be a winner.
You can search manually . Enter the number directly in the search on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Facebook or Instagram to find all its mentions. A person’s number can be found both on his page and in his posts. For example, the person you are looking for could leave their contacts in communities.
Facebook is especially easy to sell out its users. In the world's largest social network, you can find a user's page by phone number. True, if such a search is allowed in the privacy settings of the page. Many users have this option enabled, so searching by number on Facebook is a must.
As is the case with search engines, it is recommended to search for a number on social networks in three formats:
- 89xxxxxxxxx
- 79xxxxxxxxx
- +7 (9xx) xxx-xx-xx
This will give you a better chance of finding a subscriber.
You can search for a number using social networks automatically. MySMSBox is responsible for this . Go to the website and enter the number in the search. In the main search results, the service will show which operator in which region the number belongs to. Scroll down a little further for more options.
The service allows you to find your phone on social networks, classifieds sites and instant messengers. The site quickly and clearly displays information about a person available on the Internet. The payout can be extremely large. In particular, if a person has not paid enough attention to the confidentiality of his online accounts.
To the content.
How can you determine a hidden number?
Some annoying calls are made from hidden numbers that cannot be contacted or blacklisted.
Special operator services
To identify a hidden contact who is pestering you with calls, you can use the services of your telecom operator. The anti-determinant has its disadvantages:
- you will have to pay for assistance;
- the contact may not be declassified if it belongs to another network.
Some television networks provide the user with the opportunity to test the service: for several days after connection, the subscription fee is not charged. Methods for activating the option using the Beeline operator as an example:
- draw up an agreement for the provision of services in the office;
- in the “Tariffs and Services” section, connect yourself;
- by calling 06744161;
- dial the command *110*4161#.
If the user has no debt or overdue bills, Caller ID is activated. When the function is no longer needed, it can be disabled.
Enter the phone number in the number database
Number databases are the first thing that comes to mind for most people when it comes to the need to call a person by number. But nowadays, number databases are practically useless.
You can find a live and free database of numbers, but the chance that it will provide any information about the person is minimal. The fact is that almost all open databases of numbers are old. They haven't been updated for years .
At the same time, the quality of the number databases is terrible. The number you need will certainly be in the databases. But all that can be found out is the region to which the phone belongs. This is not valuable information .
Therefore, searching and queries in number databases in 99% of cases is a useless exercise. But you are in a situation where all means are good, then you can try.
From time to time, fresh databases of numbers with real data about people leak into RuNet. The last such leak occurred in 2018. Then data about 78 million (!) numbers . All of them were originally posted publicly, but can no longer be found.
Where to look for bases? Everything is very simple - on the Internet, on forums, on Telegram. Websites with high-quality databases do not last long. Of the verified databases, we note the database on the website “ WhoseNumber ”. But it has not been updated since 2022.
To the content.
Why you can't call spammers back
If you miss a call from an unknown number, do not call back. The chances that this is a paid number with a hefty price tag for the connection are much higher than the inability to call you back later.
Often, when you answer a call from an unfamiliar number, you can hear a choice curse word. The caller then hangs up.
Naturally, you call back to answer, and a nice girl starts talking to you, offering various products and services. On a paid telephone line.
If you still cannot help but call back, use Skype or another instant messenger that has the function of calls to landline numbers. You will not lose more than you have on your balance.
They also force you to call back in order to get your number . To issue a duplicate SIM card, operators may ask you to indicate the last three numbers you called. By calling back, you increase the chances of scammers stealing your number, and with it the linked accounts, for example, Internet banking.
(
132 votes, overall rating: 4.43 out of 5)
