Most people have caller ID on their landline or smartphone and can see who is calling. But there are those times when the only information you see on your caller ID screen is the word “restricted.” This can be anything from a friend or relative who has an unlisted number to a telemarketing company trying to hide their information. If restricted calls get to be a problem, there are ways to get the phone number and use it to stop the harassment.
Do A Call Trace
If you are trying to find a restricted number because of harassing phone calls, then you can contact your phone company and ask that a trace be put on your phone. Once the restricted number calls you, you hang up and dial *57 to initiate the trace. The phone company will charge you for each trace, but you cannot receive the results directly. The results of a phone trace can only be sent to courts or legal authorities.
Look At Your Phone Bill
While a call might show up as restricted on your caller ID, there is a chance that the phone company will still print the number on your next phone bill. When you get a restricted call, you need to write down the exact date and time the call was received. When you get your bill, take a look at the entry for that time and see if the number is listed.
Contact Your Carrier
Some phone companies will offer to give you a restricted number if you can provide a good reason for doing so. Threatening phone calls or obscene calls can often be revealed immediately through the phone company’s network, and the company can choose to release that information to you directly.
Set Your Phone To Reject Restricted Calls
Contact your phone service carrier and ask how you can put a block on your phone to reject restricted numbers. Most services will give you a set of numbers you key into your phone to turn the blocking service on and off, while others have to turn it on and off for you. Once the block is in place, a caller will have to press a series of numbers on their phone to allow their call to go through to you. Once the caller presses that sequence of numbers, their phone number will show up on your caller ID.
Ask The Caller
Some people do not realize that their number shows up as restricted on caller ID. Sometimes, all you have to do to get a restricted phone number is ask the caller for their phone number.
There are many reasons why people and companies use unlisted, or restricted, phone numbers. If you are having problems with callers who use restricted phone numbers, then there are plenty of ways you can use to get that phone number and put an end to the harassment.
Jim Treebold is a North Carolina based writer. He lives by the mantra of “Learn 1 new thing each day”! Jim loves to write, read, pedal around on his electric bike and dream of big things. Drop him a line if you like his writing, he loves hearing from his readers!