Phone Lookup Glossary

Caller ID

A telephone service that transmits the caller's phone number and/or name to the recipient's display before the call is answered.

Reverse Phone Lookup

A service that allows you to search for information about a phone number's owner by entering the number.

Robocall

An automated phone call that delivers a pre-recorded message, often used for telemarketing or scams.

Phone Number Spoofing

The practice of falsifying caller ID information to make a call appear to come from a different number.

VoIP (Voice over IP)

Technology that allows phone calls to be made over the internet instead of traditional phone lines.

Toll-Free Number

A phone number with special area codes (800, 888, 877, etc.) where the receiving party pays for the call instead of the caller.

Area Code

The first three digits of a North American phone number that indicate the geographic region where the number was originally assigned.

Spam Call

Unwanted phone calls, typically from telemarketers or scammers, sent to large numbers of people.

Telemarketer

A person or automated system that makes phone calls to potential customers to market products or services.

Do Not Call Registry

A free service managed by the FTC that allows consumers to opt out of receiving telemarketing calls.

CNAM (Caller Name)

The name associated with a phone number that appears on caller ID displays.

Scam Likely

A label that some phone carriers display when a call is suspected to be fraudulent based on call patterns.

Vishing (Voice Phishing)

A phone-based scam where fraudsters try to trick victims into revealing personal or financial information.

Call Blocking

A feature that prevents specific phone numbers or types of calls from reaching your phone.

Unknown Caller

A call where the caller's number is not displayed, either because caller ID is blocked or unavailable.

Landline

A traditional telephone line that uses physical wires to transmit calls, as opposed to mobile or VoIP.

Mobile Number

A phone number assigned to a cellular device, typically portable and not tied to a specific location.

Number Porting

The process of transferring a phone number from one service provider to another while keeping the same number.

Caller ID Spoofing

Technology that allows a caller to deliberately falsify the information transmitted to appear as someone else.

TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)

Federal law that restricts telemarketing calls and the use of automated systems to contact consumers.

Ringless Voicemail

Technology that allows a message to be delivered directly to voicemail without making the phone ring.

Call Screening

A feature that identifies callers and allows you to choose whether to answer before picking up.

Neighborhood Spoofing

A tactic where scammers display a caller ID number similar to your own to increase answer rates.

One Ring Scam

A scam where fraudsters call and hang up after one ring, hoping you'll call back an expensive premium number.

NPA-NXX

The first six digits of a phone number: NPA (area code) and NXX (exchange code) that identify location and carrier.

Call Center

A centralized office where large volumes of telephone calls are handled, often for customer service or sales.

Predictive Dialer

Automated system that dials multiple numbers simultaneously and connects answered calls to available agents.

White Pages

A directory of telephone numbers and addresses listed alphabetically by subscriber name.

STIR/SHAKEN

Technology framework that helps verify caller ID information is not being spoofed on telephone networks.

Verified Caller

A designation that indicates the caller's identity has been authenticated by the phone carrier.