How To Identify Virtual Phone Number? An In-Depth Look

Do you often receive anonymous phone calls from people who are claiming to be someone you know, but you have a hard time trusting them and exchanging private information with them over the phone?

Most telemarketers, sales teams, campaign agents, and businesses often use virtual phone numbers to carry out their business communications. However, sometimes fraudsters and scammers also use these kinds of phone numbers to scam people. Thus, nowadays, it is very important for everyone to know who the callers are and whether they should answer their phones or not.

If you don’t know much about virtual phone numbers, don’t worry. This article will provide you with all the information you need know how to identify virtual phone number.

Now, let’s get to it.

Why Identifying Virtual Phone Numbers Is Crucial?

Nowadays, virtual phone numbers are widely used by a lot of people in order to protect their privacy. However, the use of these numbers has also significantly increased scams and frauds. Some important reasons why identifying virtual phone numbers is crucial are as follows: 

1. Preventing fraud and scams

Virtual phone numbers are extremely easy to acquire and immediately dispose of. This makes it easier for scammers and fraudsters to carry out identity thefts, phishing scams, and other malicious activities that are harder to trace. 

Thus, if the recipient is able to identify a virtual number, they can assess the credibility of the businesses before engaging in any transactions with them and providing sensitive information.

2. Ensuring regulatory compliance

Identification of virtual numbers ensures that businesses comply with regulations such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), etc. This ensures legitimate and legally allowed communication between the caller and the receiver.

3. Avoiding communication issues

Virtual phone numbers are mainly used by VoIP services, which route calls through the Internet. Identifying virtual numbers allows users to prepare for possible issues, such as call latency, lower audio quality, and geographical delays.

4. Maintaining data security

Identifying virtual numbers helps filter out any anonymous contacts and mainly receive calls from recognized parties. Identifying these numbers also helps focus efforts on more reliable leads.

5. Improving business communication

Identifying virtual numbers helps improve business communications because it optimizes call routing, marketing efforts, and customer interactions while mitigating risks. Additionally, the identification also helps flag suspicious activity, thereby improving the overall security of business phone systems.

How to Identify Virtual Phone Numbers?

Nowadays, phone numbers can be easily faked and masked to hide the true identity of the caller. Thus, people have now started to use calling apps such as TrueCaller to identify the caller ID.

It is now imperative to check if a number is VoIP or a regular number. Some effective ways to identify a virtual phone number are as follows:

1. Caller ID feature 

Check the caller ID to determine whether the number is a virtual number or not. If a number is displayed as private or unknown, chances are that it is a virtual number. Or if you use any app and it doesn’t show the caller name as any generic name, it is a virtual number.

2. Mismatch identity

If the phone number’s local area code doesn’t seem to match the location of the person claiming to be calling from that place, then it is a virtual number.

You can look up a caller’s information such as the phone number carrier, phone service provider, and country code by using powerful carrier lookup tools such as:

• TrueCaller
• Twilio Lookup
• NumVerify
• Free Carrier Lookup
• Call Protect
• Hiya

3. Call quality

A virtual number is completely dependent upon the Internet. If you’re on a call with someone and you suffer from issues, such as poor call quality or calls being dropped, the number is most likely a virtual number, and the issues are probably caused by an unstable internet connection.

4. Limited call features

Virtual numbers do not have features such as making emergency calls or sending and receiving text messages.

5. Number format

Virtual numbers have an unusual or distinct format compared to regular phone numbers. Thus, compare the phone numbers that appear on the screen with the regular number format and pattern to determine whether the number is regular or virtual.

6. Test through automated SMS verification

Some websites and services perform automated SMS verification as part of the registration to identify virtual numbers. These numbers are flagged during the process, especially if they are tied to any known VoIP service providers.

Understanding the Risks of Using Virtual Phone Numbers

Although using virtual phone numbers is highly flexible, convenient, and cost-saving, it still has multiple risk factors. Some disadvantages of using virtual numbers are as follows:

1. Fraud and scams

One of the biggest risks of using a virtual phone number is that it can be easily abused by scammers and fraudsters. Since virtual numbers are often cheap, easy to acquire, and dispose of, they are frequently used in phishing attacks and identity theft to impersonate legitimate businesses and individuals to obtain personal information and other financial details.

Further, since these numbers are not tied to any geographical location or cellular networks, they are harder to trace. Thus, in cases of fraud and scams, the people responsible are rarely arrested.

2. Quality and reliability

Virtual phone numbers are typically routed through VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, which can sometimes result in poor call quality, calls being dropped, and latency issues. This can negatively impact customer experience and increase miscommunication.

Also, since many virtual phone numbers are used only for temporary purposes, businesses might find it difficult to keep up with their contact lists up to date, leading to the loss of valuable leads.

3. Regulatory compliance

Although compliance software excludes virtual numbers, which may violate certain regulations such as TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), etc., from being used in campaigns, people can still use it to promote their products, causing people to answer multiple unwanted calls. Also, using fake caller IDs to call someone is illegal.

4. Security risks

Virtual phone numbers create potential security vulnerabilities, especially for businesses that handle sensitive information and require strong authentication processes.

Cybercriminals use virtual phone numbers to gain unauthorized access to private accounts by intercepting authentication codes sent to these numbers.

5. Reputation risks

Virtual numbers are often associated with mass marketing, temporary communication, and anonymity, which may lead to calls being rejected as spam and untrustworthy.

Further, the use of virtual phone numbers requires a stable internet connection. Without it, call routing, forwarding, and response time are slow. This leads to higher miscommunication and customer frustration. Thus, it hampers the brand’s credibility in the market.

Final Words

It is extremely vital to recognize a virtual phone number from a regular one to protect your private information and avoid any potential security threats. Every individual and business, be it small or large, must deploy resources effectively and efficiently to identify fraud and scam calls in order to protect their business communications. Doing so not only enhances customer experiences but also increases customer trust and credibility of businesses.

FAQs

How can I tell if a phone number is virtual?

If the caller ID looks different and unusual and if the phone number has an unfamiliar area code, multiple zeros, or a sequence of random digits, then the number is probably virtual. However, to confirm it, use reverse phone lookup apps. 

How to trace a virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number is not tied to any geographic location or a cellular network provider. It uses a dynamic IP address, which makes it highly difficult to trace but not impossible.

The best way to trace a virtual phone number to contact the service provider. The other effective way is to use reverse phone number lookup apps and websites such as Spokeo, Whitepages, TrueCaller, etc. 

How do I find out who owns a virtual number?

Using reverse phone lookup services, you can find out details such as the owner’s name, location, and service provider. A simple Google search of the phone number also brings up websites, social media profiles, and business listings associated with it.

What are the different types of virtual phone numbers?

The different types of virtual phone numbers are as follows:

• Local virtual phone number
• Toll-free virtual phone number
• Vanity number
• International virtual phone number
• Mobile virtual phone number
• VoIP numbers
• Non-geographic virtual phone number

What happens if you text a VoIP number?

Some service providers may not support VoIP texting. However, if a VoIP service provider supports SMS, then text messages can be sent and received through a VoIP phone number.

The messages are either received as normal text messages or are automatically converted into emails, depending on how the user has configured the system.

What does a VoIP phone number look like?

A VoIP phone number looks just like a regular phone number. However, it may sometimes look a little different. For example, a vanity number may look like: 1-800-FLOWERS.

Why would a person have a VoIP number?

The main reason for acquiring a VoIP number is to keep your private number anonymous and have the flexibility to make calls from anywhere at any time without having to depend on traditional cellular networks.

How do I know if a number is a Google number?

There are a few ways to find out if a number is a Google number.

• Ask the caller directly for confirmation.
• Use external apps such as Whitepages, TrueCaller, etc. to know more about the phone number.
• Search the number directly on Google. Google Voice must have listed out the number in its phone directory online.
• If you hear generic automated voice messages like “The Google subscriber you have called is not available,” it confirms that the number is connected to the Google Voice.