Difference between private and unknown number
It is a criminal offence to call with a hidden number
When we receive a phone call, we normally see the name of the person as we have saved it in our contacts or their phone number. But there are times when we see the name ”hidden number”.
The first question to ask is: Why would anyone want to remain anonymous? The answer is very easy: because they are not interested in having their phone number displayed on the phone screen when we receive a call. In this case, the user may have various motivations: from playing a joke to simply protecting his or her privacy.
In Axarfusion we care about you and we want our customers to be informed about everything related to their mobile phone, calls and internet, that’s why we have prepared this post where we answer the most frequent doubts about hidden numbers.
Is it possible to know who is calling me on a hidden number?
We use more and more mobile phones and we expose ourselves more to the internet, nowadays our data is spread everywhere, so we have to be careful as it harms our privacy and intimacy, there are even people who are dedicated to scamming others by making missed calls and then you call them back and they charge you for it.
I’m sure you’ve received this type of call, wondering who is calling me?
We regret to inform you that in the case of hidden numbers it is not possible to identify who the person on the other end is, unless you pick up the phone and identify the person yourself. One trick is to record the phone conversation and then more calmly analyze the voice to see if it is a person you may know.
There are many applications that sell the possibility of knowing this information, but it is impossible to know because the application would need to ”see” the number to compare it with the ones you have in your system.
However, it is possible to identify unknown numbers, i.e. calls we receive from people or companies that are not in our phone book. There are many applications that give you this option, although the most widely used is Truecaller, valid for Android and iOS devices. It is completely free and very useful for those who receive thousands of SPAM calls a day, as it even gives you the option to block the number from within the application.
Is being called on a hidden number the same as being called on an unknown number?
It makes no difference whether the display shows ”private number”, ”unknown number”, or ”hidden number”, all three terms mean the same thing and make no difference.
The term varies depending on the phone company, type of mobile phone or operating system you have.
Is it a crime to call on a hidden number?
For the time being, calling on a hidden number in Spain does not constitute a crime. However, this will depend on the intention behind the call, as calling on a hidden number to play a joke or to protect privacy is not the same as calling on a hidden number for commercial purposes. Since 2021, companies have been obliged not to hide telephone numbers when making business calls.
How can I call on a hidden number?
Some may think that making such calls requires expert equipment or is complicated, but nothing could be further from the truth. Hiding your phone number is very easy, here’s how:
– For IOS and Android you will need to dial #31# before the phone number, like this: #31# 66XX XXX XXX XXX
– For landlines you will have to dial 067 before the phone number : 067 66X XXX XXX XXX
