Foreign phone numbers can be tracked using a variety of methods.
You may find a foreign phone number listed on your caller ID, phone bill or in your calling records. You may even come across a foreign phone number scribbled on a note in your pocket, in your own handwriting no less, but have no idea whose number it is. Don't despair. There are ways to find where a foreign phone call originated from and, with a bit of luck, find out who made the call.
Instructions
1. Identify the country. Foreign phone numbers begin with a prefix that identifies the country from which the telephone call originated. The prefix, known as a calling code, consists of one, two or three digits (rarely, you may see a four-digit code for special areas, like Guantanamo Bay). See the Resources section for prefix lookup services.
Note that international phone numbers may sometimes have the numeral 1 in front of the country code prefix. In this case, omit the "1" when looking up the actual prefix. For instance, the code for Jamaica is 876, but may appear as 1 876 on your billing or caller ID.
2. Identify the city. Foreign phone numbers are often listed with a city code as well as a country code. For instance, a call from a number that begins 49-30 indicates a call from Germany (country code 49) and Berlin (city code 30). Use the County-City Codes Lookup in the References section to search for the city code.
3. Think back to the date of the call. Once you know the country, city and date of the call, you may have enough information in hand to know who called. For example, if a foreign phone number appears on your bill beginning with 63-2, your search will tell you this was a call from Manila in the Philippines made a month ago. That may ring a bell as to a friend calling from vacation or another similar circumstance.
4. Search for the number in an online search engine of your choice. A number that originated from a business often turns up in an Internet search. A surprising number of personal telephone numbers can also be found this way.
It pays to try several search variations. Say the listed number is 63-2-70-20-888. Enter the entire number into a search engine. Your search will identify the number for you (in this case, the Manila offices of Cebu Pacific Airlines).
Now try a search on just the local number (without the country and city code) and the city name: Manila 70-20-888. This search will also successfully identify the number, and will work even if the first type of search does not produce results.
Tags: city code, phone numbers, call from, country code, Foreign phone numbers, phone number