Are you confused by the “No Caller ID” shown on the on-call page? Should you answer it? Not suggested. While not every No Caller ID call is dangerous, valid risks exist. This blog will help you understand what is No Caller ID and the potential risks behind it. Also, you can find out who’s calling you on the other side and block unwanted ones easily with our help.
Table of Contents
What Is No Caller ID?
A No Caller ID call means the caller intentionally hides his/her identity from the recipient. Instead of a phone number, people who receive this kind of call can only see “No Caller ID”, “Private Number,” or “Blocked” on the on-call page.
In addition to knowing what does No Caller ID mean, you should also understand who is making the call. This one-way call happens most from telemarketers and scammers to conceal their identities. Should you answer it? Not suggested.
Risks of Answering No Caller ID Calls
Since people who’ve got your number and really need to contact you can always leave a voicemail or text messages, you are suggested to hang up No Caller ID calls directly from being exposed to more bothering and dangers.
- Be Targeted by More Unknown Calls
Have you noticed that after you answered one No Caller ID call, you frequently receive many No ID calls in the next few days? That is because your number has been marked as “in use” and be shared by their circles as a potential “client”.
- Get Billed for Overseas Calls
When you answer a No Caller ID call, it could be coming from overseas, or being forwarded to a premium-rate line. Scammers find excuses to make you stay on the line longer, leaving you with a huge bill.
- Identity Theft & Financial Lost
Identity theft has become more rampant with the abuse of AI technology. Once you answer the phone from don’t know who, they can get your voice and clone it to unlock your accounts or defraud money.
- Coax Out Personal Information
No Caller ID calls from scammers fake their identities to be an authority. Airports, banks, and schools are all frequently used excuses to get your personal information or money directly.
- Malware Attack
Although more technical, malware attacks can also come from No Caller ID calls. Combined with links or other processes being asked to execute, malware can be inserted into your phone and lead to information leaks.
In many cases, scammers need you more than just to answer the call, but also to open a link or download files. These links, however, bring you to untrustworthy sites that might collect your personal info like your IP and online activities for illegal use. In this case, forming a habit of using VPNs can significantly protect your online identity and reduce information leaks. Use X-VPN to encrypt your data now!
How to Find Out Who Called?
When receiving a call showing No Caller ID, how to find out who called? Here are 4 ways to help. However, don’t call back a suspicious call unless you trust the caller, as it could be a scam.
1. Dial *69
*69 is a free code you can dial to trace the “last call” you received and call it back automatically. No matter whether you answered that call, instantly dial *69 allows you to call it back.
2. Dial *57
*57 is also a call tracking code that you can dial to find the “last call.” Unlike *69, this is a paid service and is only for unknown calls that require legal action.
If you suffered harassment or threats from a No Caller ID call, you can dial *57 to activate this service and the caller’s identity will be submitted to local law enforcement.
3. Use Third-Party Apps
Another way to tell if the no ID call is suspicious is to use some 3rd-party tools. Apps like TrapCall and TrueCaller help identify callers been marked as suspicious and tell you the number of it to help you block it forever.
Image from TureCaller
4. Contact Your Phone Service Provider
You can also contact your phone service provider to ask for call information, but whether they will help and whether there will be a charge depends on different policies.
How to Block No Caller ID Calls?
Most callers using No Caller ID are suspicious and bothering, which makes it suggested to block or mute. Here are 2 ways to block unwanted calls.
1. Use Built-in Feature
Our phones are enabled with a built-in feature to silence or block unwanted calls.
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.
Calls from unknown numbers will be forwarded directly to voicemail. Before enabling it, make sure you have saved all the important numbers in your contacts.
- Android: Open the Phone app, tap on the three dots or setting symbol on the upper right, go to Settings > Call Blocking, and enable options to block calls from unknown or private numbers.
Android call blocking is different from iPhone and may vary from brand to brand, but generally speaking, it blocks all numbers that are flagged as suspicious.
2. Use Call Blocking Apps
Blocking No Caller ID can be easily done with a call-blocking app. The 2 number tracking apps mentioned above can also do call blocking. They automatically block spam, telemarketing, and robocalls from their global spam lists.
4 Tips to Protect Privacy & Enhance Security
Blocking No Caller ID can provide immediate relief from unwanted interruptions, while adopting good privacy practices can safeguard your personal information against future threats. Here are 4 tips to enhance your privacy both on and off the phone.
1. Avoid Providing Information
When answering a call from an unknown caller, do not believe what they said easily, and never provide your information just according to what they asked. You are suggested to keep silent and wait for what they say, and hang up unnecessary calls immediately.
2. National Do Not Call Registry
If you frequently receive unwanted calls, especially from telemarketers, you are suggested to register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. This is a free service to help stop unwanted but legitimate sales calls, scammers are not on the list.
3. Two-Factor Authentication
Enabling 2FA helps add an extra layer of security to your accounts. This works especially well for identity theft, even if they’ve got your password or voice, a second form of verification like a text message or authentication email is still required.
4. Browse with A VPN
Another big threat comes from the Internet. Malicious websites are everywhere. They are spying on visitors’ online activities and trying to steal their data for sale and other illegal purposes. It is difficult for people to identify these malicious websites, making us exposed to potential risks every day. Browsing with a trusted VPN like X-VPN can help encrypt our online activities, assuring our personal information stays safe from untrustworthy sites, hackers, and other online threats.
Conclusion
As our privacy and security are more exposed to the digital world, No Caller ID calls need to be handled more carefully. Given the potential for scams and unwanted sales, it’s best not to answer these no ID calls. Since a legitimate caller can always contact you through many other ways including messages or voicemail. To further protect your privacy, consider using tools like X-VPN, which can help protect your online identity from hackers and other hidden threats.
FAQs
No Caller ID vs. Unknown Callers
No Caller ID means the caller has intentionally hidden their phone number, most likely for sales purposes or suspicious needs.
Unknown Callers, on the other hand, refer to a call that your phone service provider can’t identify. It can be simply a network error or technical issue.
Is All No Caller ID Spam?
Not all No Caller ID calls are spam. However, many are associated with telemarketers, scammers, or robocalls. Very few of them can come from privacy protection considerations.
How to Do No Caller ID?
There is a dialing code available for No Caller ID calls. Different countries may have different codes. In the United States, you can dial *67 before the number you want to call. This will hide your number for that number.
Why Am I Constantly Receive No Caller ID Calls?
Consider if you visited some suspicious sites recently and logged in with your phone number. For the telemarketing calls, it is likely that you answered one of them, and your number be marked as potential and be shared by many.
