{"id":28422,"date":"2025-04-29T10:38:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T18:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=28422"},"modified":"2025-04-29T10:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T18:38:17","slug":"scammer-phone-lookup-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/scammer-phone-lookup-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Is This Number a Scammer? 6 Ways to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s no way around it, Americans are inundated every day with nuisance and scam calls: about 50 billion of them per year<\/a>, according to call-blocking app YouMail (the FCC says 4 billion\/month<\/a>, which is right in the same ballpark).\u00a0 Even that\u2019s not the whole picture, because it only counts automated \u201crobocalls,\u201d and not the ones made by actual humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, not all of those calls (and texts) are scams.  Some are legitimate, and some are just a bit shady.  But enough of them are<\/em> scams that some kind of \u201cscammer phone number lookup\u201d would be really, really useful. The good news is that there are several ways to tell if a call or text comes from a scammer, including \u2014 yes! \u2014 ways to look up the number.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scam Calls and Texts Are a Big Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll see slightly different numbers, depending on the source you look at, but YouMail estimates the number of scam calls at about 30 billion a year, or 60% of all robocalls.\u00a0 In 2022 the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported that call center fraud<\/a> accounted for about $1 billion of the year\u2019s $10 billion total losses to fraud.\u00a0 The FCC\u2019s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book for 2022<\/a> doesn\u2019t break out telephone-based fraud specifically, but imposter scams \u2014 scammers pretending to be the police<\/a>, or Amazon, or the IRS<\/a>, or your bank \u2014 were the most common form of fraud and were second only to identity theft in the total number of complaints.\u00a0 Those scams usually (but not invariably) take place by telephone, so it\u2019s another strong indication of just how big the problem is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a couple of complications that make this even more damaging.\u00a0 One is that scammers can pretty easily \u201cspoof\u201d<\/em> your Caller ID<\/a>, making it look like the call comes from a legitimate number.\u00a0 Another is that scammers have embraced text-based scams<\/a> because we\u2019re much more likely to open a text<\/a> than an email, and because we aren\u2019t as likely to be suspicious of texts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The news isn\u2019t all gloom and doom.\u00a0 Most of the same sources point out that robocalls have actually declined somewhat over the past few years, since the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act<\/a> (aka \u201cthat new robocall law\u201d) gave regulators and law enforcement a whole new set of tools to work with.\u00a0 Even so, it\u2019s mostly up to individuals to protect themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is This Number a Scammer? How to Check<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that however the call or text arrives, or whatever it says, there are plenty of ways to identify scammer phone numbers.  Let\u2019s take a look at some of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the Real Organization\u2019s Website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A good starting point, if you receive a phone message or text that seems dubious, is to check that company\u2019s or agency\u2019s website.\u00a0 Companies like Apple<\/a> and Amazon<\/a>, and government agencies like the IRS<\/a>, all have excellent pages to help you recognize scam calls and texts when you see them (because they\u2019re among the most-impersonated by scammers).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know What the Real Organization Will and Won\u2019t Do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, those websites will usually explain to you \u2014 on the same page, or one that\u2019s linked from it \u2014 some tell-tale signs that you\u2019ve been contacted by a scammer.  The IRS, for example, will never<\/em> call you about your tax status without sending you a letter first.  Your bank will never<\/em> ask you to verify your account number and PIN over the phone.  The police will never<\/em> call and threaten to arrest you, because why warn you in advance? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, legitimate organizations won\u2019t harass you, berate you or threaten you with penalties or jail time.\u00a0 Some of the sketchier collection agencies might walk that fine line (there are laws limiting what they can say or do<\/a>), but you won\u2019t get that kind of treatment from government agencies or companies you deal with.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn the Characteristics Most Scam Calls\/Texts Share<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Almost all scam calls and texts share a handful of common characteristics, and once you know the combination it\u2019s hard to be fooled.  These include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n