Tracking a call - how tracing works

If you receive calls from an unknown phone number and don't want to call them back, there are several ways you can use to find out who is behind the number. Learn here how to trace phone numbers and block unknown numbers in your smartphone.

This is how you trace an unknown number

If you get a call from an unknown number, you can of course simply call back to find out who is behind it. However, there are other ways to find out more about a phone number without a callback.

• There are some websites through which you can find out who is hiding behind a phone number and whether it is, for example, advertising or the like.
• On "Das Örtliche" or "reverse search phone book", for example, you have the opportunity to find out more about a phone number with a reverse search.
• Be careful of so-called ping calls. These are often calls from numbers from abroad. The callers want to lure you into a cost trap with your callback.

Block unknown numbers

About the phone settings of your smartphone, you usually have the option to block calls from unknown numbers.

1. Open the settings of your iPhone and select "Phone". There you will find the option "Mute unknown callers" to activate.
2. Android users need to open the phone app and go to the settings there. Then you need to tap on "Block numbers" and activate the option "Block unknown callers".