When an individual performs a reverse phone search or a phone number lookup, it is usually to find out information about the person who owns a particular phone number. This is possible because people are required to provide identifying information when requesting phone numbers. As such, discovering details about the last person who called you is simple as long as you can retrieve the phone number they called you with.
What are Ohio Phone Numbers?
Over the last two decades in Ohio, there have been a lot of changes in relation to the number of phone numbers in existence, the carriers that provide them, and the way people use them. By the year 2000, the local telephone companies in Ohio had lost 80% of their landline customers, and by 2017, 70% of homes in Ohio had stopped using landlines entirely, switching over to wireless solutions.
According to a 2019 report from the National Health Interview Survey, 61.4% of Ohio adults use wireless phone services only, while 3.2% use landlines only. As of 2020, there are five major phone carriers in Ohio and the United States in general. These carriers include AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular. While Verizon and AT&T have the most subscribers, others also have sizable market shares. In 2020, these carriers account for the following percentages of Americans with phone lines:
- AT&T with 39.9%
- Verizon with 29.2%
- T-Mobile with 16.4%
- Sprint with 13.3%
- US Cellular with 1.2%
The switch from landline has not gone solely in the direction of mobile carriers. Voice of Internet Protocol (VoIP) services have also become very popular around the U.S. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of VoIP numbers registered for personal and business use went from 34.2 million to 84.5 million. As of 2018, the number had increased even further to 118 million.
Can I Search a Phone Number and Find Out Who it Is?
Yes, you can. Because individuals requesting phone numbers must provide information like their names and home/business addresses, anyone can use reverse phone lookup services to identify and locate them using their phone numbers. There are a number of ways to go about this, including performing a phone number lookup by address to find their name. This can be helpful when you receive a call from a strange phone number and want to get more information on the person who called.
However, scammers have a way of avoiding detection by exploiting carrier registry and phone number allocation systems. They do this by blocking or spoofing their phone numbers. This makes it harder to accurately identify the individual calling you.
What are Phone Lookup Services?
As mobile phone usage and access to the internet have spread across the United States, acquiring a phone number as well as the ability to perform a phone number lookup has become commonplace. With the advent of Caller ID, telephone users can easily see the phone numbers calling them even if they do not answer the phone. While Caller ID has improved telephone security through transparency, it has also driven phone scammers to improve their efforts. Telephone scammers seek to hide their identities by using internet-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, caller ID cloaking, and phone number spoofing.
With these sophisticated techniques, it is important that you are able to properly identify a phone scam. Learning about the ways scammers employ these technologies is necessary if you want to avoid falling prey to a phone scam.
What Information Can You Get from an Ohio Phone Number Lookup Search?
Conducting a phone lookup search by phone number will reveal the full name of the subscriber registered to that number. Reverse phone number searches can also find business names and other identifying details such as location and specialty. When the number searched is linked to an individual, the search result may also include the age and gender of the subject as well as their address.
A reverse phone lookup free service will identify an unknown caller and return the name, location, and other information submitted at the point of registering their phone number. Premium reverse lookup services can provide additional information but charge small fees for these records. These services can search social media platforms for up-to-date information about the subjects of lookup searches. Paid services may show photos and provide timelines of the online activities of the subjects of reverse phone searches. These additional details are especially useful when researching unknown callers suspected of impersonating loved ones and long-lost acquaintances. They are also useful for verifying the claims of strange callers, dealing with phone stalkers, and unmasking phone scammers.
What is a VoIP Number?
VoIP is a service that places phone calls over the internet. When an individual signs up for VoIP services, the provider assigns a phone number directly to the individual. This can be used anywhere and is not tied to a specific telephone line. Using VoIP technology, customers can make audio and video calls and send text messages on devices that are online. The convenience and flexibility of VoIP calls are driving the adoption of this technology. Clearly, internet telephony is rapidly displacing traditional phone lines.
As expected, scammers are finding ways to use this new technology to their advantage. The flexibility of VoIP makes it an excellent choice for phone scams. With no area codes or similar location markers linked to VoIP calls, it is much harder to identify callers with reverse cell phone lookup. With VoIP, phone scammers no longer need to be in a particular location to carry out scams. VoIP calls make scam exploits harder to trace and shut down.
Due to this dangerous change in the nature of phone scams, phone users are advised to be cautious when answering calls, even when receiving calls from numbers that appear familiar. The FTC recommends various tips and best practices to help identify potential spam callers.
What Is an Ohio Phone Number Area Code?
In the 1940s, the Bell System, a collection of companies headed by the Bell Phone Company and then American Telegraph and Telephone (AT&T), created the area code system as part of their North American Numbering Plan (NANPA), which would make it easier to call between regions and to provide phone lines for the growing populace.
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates area code usage and uses them to identify the different districts in a state. However, states are permitted to create new area codes.
The Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) liaises directly with NANPA on all area codes in the state and gives regular updates about any new Ohio area codes to members of the public.
What is an Ohio Phone Number Prefix Code?
US phone numbers typically contain 10 digits. The prefix code - also known as the exchange code - is placed immediately after the area code. For example, if you look at the phone number (440) 718-8649:
- 440 is the area code
- 718 is the prefix code
If the phone number contains 11 - 13 digits, then it means it contains a country code, and the prefix code will come after that as well as the area code. For instance, with +1 (440) 718-8649
- +1 is the country code for the United States
- 440 is the area code
- 718 is the prefix code
Is There a Way to Lookup a Phone Number for Free in Ohio?
Yes, there are free reverse phone number lookup services available in Ohio. These services allow you to enter a phone number and receive the name and address of the person associated with that number. Alternative to free reverse phone lookup services, inquirers may use online databases of the Ohio Secretary of State or any other state agency with phone numbers in its records. To access this information, you must search by name, address, or zip code. In addition, inquirers can contact the appropriate county clerk’s office and request a copy of their public records. However, if you are searching for more detailed information about an individual’s phone number, such as caller ID logs and call history, you may have to pay a fee for these services.
It should be noted that many states require individuals to verify their identity before they can access public records containing personal information. Some free reverse phone lookup services may also contain outdated or inaccurate data.
Other options for finding a phone number for free in Ohio include social media, public records search websites and directories, or public utility records. Some of these services may require that you provide an email address or other identifying information before receiving a result. Finally, inquirers should note that the accuracy of free reverse phone lookup services can vary depending on the service provider and how up-to-date their database is.
Is Reverse Phone Lookup Legal in Ohio?
Using a reverse phone lookup service is legal in Ohio. The state does not regulate phone lookup service providers nor currently has laws specifying the legality of phone number lookup. Overall reverse phone lookup searches are considered legal as long as users do not employ them for criminal purposes.
Reverse phone number lookup services obtain search results from public records and do not invade the privacy of the subjects of such searches. Typically, Ohio reverse phone lookup providers rely on available records such as carrier databases to identify individuals linked to searched numbers. They usually gather search results from multiple sources and present them in a manner that is easy to use.
