Be a Phone Detective

I hope to teach you some tips and tricks you can use to be a good phone detective. What is a phone detective? It is someone that can conduct an investigation about phone issues. I will show you how to find a name with a phone number how, how to record phone calls, and how to trace calls. I also have a brief discussion about the right to privacy vs the right to know.

Table of Contents:

How to Break a Phone Number
Be a Phone Detective
How to Record Your Own Calls
Record Cell Phone Conversations
How to Trace a Phone Number
The Right to Privacy vs The Right to Know
Poll: The Right to Privacy vs The Right to Know
Tracking Cell Phones
Blocking Calls on a Cell Phone
Read Deleted Text Messages From a Cell Phone
Recommendations By Users of Be Your Own Detective

What do Pizza and Cell Phones have in common?

First - what is "breaking?"


Break the number - NOT the phone...
Breaking a phone number is finding out who owns the number or where the number comes from. I looked up Revers Cell Phone lookup on 'Wikihow'. What they had looks like it was written by someone that has never done breaking before. It mentions basically the same thing 3 times.

OK, yes the fastest and easiest thing to do is use the Be Your Own Detective blog.

However, you may be a cheapskate, or you may have time, or you may actually enjoy research and investigation. If any of those apply to you I will tell you what investigators do (besides issuing a subpoena), without revealing any trade secrets.

Since you are reading this - you have access to the internet. The first place I check is Advanced Phone Search . It is free, and it will tell you what type of phone it is, like a cellular phone, a land line, and it usually tells you who the carrier. Their report looks like this:

Phone Number: 832-878-5555
Date of this Report: March 01, 2008
Area Code: 979
Prefix: 848
Area: HOUSTON
State: Texas
Country: United States
Line Type: Wireless

Next, check whitepages.com or 411.com and Google to check on the number.

OK, let's use the example above (yes the 5555 is just a fake example). You are still too cheap to use the Be Your Own Detective website. You see that the phone goes to Houston, Texas. I would check Texas Public Records. Sometimes you can find phone numbers in property record transactions, and other public records. OK, now you may not be able to search by phone number, but you really want to know about the number. Maybe you want to "play detective" instead of just searching the number. Here is a fun and useful way to do this:

First, locate a "safe phone" you can use. A "safe phone' is one that doesn't come back to you. If you just borrow a buddy's phone it may not be such a nice trick on him or her. Perhaps you have access to a prepaid phone or a phone bank at a business. You don't even have to be local as who you are pretending to be can be calling from elsewhere. Call the number. If someone answers the phone, tell them you are with Domino's or some other local pizza delivery place. Tell them up front you have a simple 3 question survey and they will get a free pizza delivered for completing the survey. Can you see were I am going? If you are guessed that you are going to get the address by doing this, you are right. Here is an example of the conversation:

We can pretend to be domino's. :)

Hi I am (Make up any name here) with Domino's (or other Pizza Place). If you can take the time to answer a three question survey, we will send a complimentary pizza for your trouble. (They say OK 99% of the time. After all, who doesn't like pizza?) OK, this isn't one of the questions, but can I get your name?

1) Ok, (First Name) Have you ever used Domino's (or other local delivery pizza)?
2) How often do you use our service?
3) Would you use Domino's (or your other pizza place) again?

Interact with answers as if you are really taking the survey. Then say, "We are going to send one of our delivery people by with the coupon for a free pizza. What address do we send that to?"

See how easy that is? It can actually be fun and there is nothing illegal about it. :D

You can compare phone breaking services at Comparing Reverse Cell Phone Lookups

I have to admit that I wasn't myself in my last post. I think I got all over that and that I will be more of myself from now on - you know not all super serious and stuff. I am stiff professional, and will give professional advice, but don't expect me to be all "stuffy".

So... you think that you need to record your phone calls... What are you, PARANOID? Hah! Maybe, maybe not. After all, if they are really out to get you, you aren't really paranoid. How many times have you just got off of the phone and thought, "man, (or explicative if you choose - I am keeping this G rated for now) I wish I had that recorded". Well, if you record all of your phone calls automatically, no problem.

Legal note here: Under Federal Law, as long as one party (that is you) consents to being recorded, then all is good. Then there are the states: These States - The "all-party-consent law states": California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington. In Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, and I think even New Mexico as well, a participant may record but a non-participant may not, even with consent. In Vermont the law is kind of "iffy".

OK, now for the basic low tech way to record - no, not the stopper looking thingy on the handset, or using a speaker phone either. What you need is some basic equipment. *que Telephone Recording gizmo here*

~~~~~~~~

You need the Direct Connect Telephone Record Device , Product ID: KB-TRX20 and any type of recorder that plugs into it. You just plug the control into any phone jack and attach it to the recorder. Whenever the phone line is activated, it automatically records your calls.

But, you say "this is the 21st century, and I just haaaaaaaave to use my computer to record calls." OK, let me ask you this - is your computer even hooked up to a phone line? Just make sure you are (for you high speed guys that forgot about regular phone lines) OK, there is good news - you can use PC Phone Recorder
or this:

.........Phone Manager Plus !....

Yep, Phone Manager Plus can record all the stuff on your phone line. It is like having your own private investigator for the phone line.

What about us cell phone guys? Or like me, when the phone is called and I am online it automatically gets forwarded to the cell phone. Yes, I am still low-tech and use dial up and all ... poor me - hah!

Oh yeah, back to the point - some people say there is no way to record cell phone calls ... or is there? That is the next post - I thimk.

Here is how you can record cell phones...

Supposedly "impossible"

One way is to use

Grand Central...

A simple way is to use a "Y" jack from Radioshack IF you have a phone with a regular jack for a headset and then use any voice recorder, or tape recorder.

You can also use a program called Flexispy

Is it all Legal? Yes, as long as you are a party to the call ...

(d) It shall not be unlawful under this chapter [18 USCS §§ 2510 et seq.] for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, oral, or electronic communication where such person is a party to the communication or where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception unless such communication is intercepted for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States or of any State. (http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/18usc2511.htm)

except in the following states: (They RequireTwo Party Notification)
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida Massachusetts
Maryland
Michigan
Montana
New Hampshire
Pennsylvania
Washington

Any questions, just post them in the comments.

Now what many people call a trace is really what is technically a "trap" A Trap is when you track the number after the fact and only receive phone owner records. A trace actually traces the line to the physical source of the call. It gives an actual location the line goes to. While it may seem the same, there is a difference. The owner of the line does not always put the location of the phone in the records, it will be billing information.

So I will italicize the word trace when it really means trap in this article. Tracing harassing phone calls is important because you're likely to not have a number show up on your Caller ID, since most prank callers use an unlisted number or will block the number. But, there still is a way to use the Be Your Own Detective website, you can trace phone calls and stop prank callers dead in their tracks.

One way to trace phone calls is by using a service provided by the majority of telephone providers. The service, known as Call Trace, is easy to use. When you receive a prank call, you immediately hang up on the caller. After a minute, pick the receiver back up to make sure the line is clear (you'll hear the dial tone again), then press *57.

Most phone providers will give you instructions, but the important thing is the provider will find the number that called you. Generally, to trace phone calls, the service costs around $5 each time you use it, although some providers set a maximum monthly charge.

While convenient, this service has serious disadvantages. First, you have to receive several prank calls from the same number before action will be taken. Some phone companies will not do anything until you've traced the number three times.

Another weakness is that the number or name of the caller won't be given to you. Even though they violated your privacy and the privacy of your home, the telephone company is not allowed to violate their privacy by letting you know who the culprit is. If the calls persist, the provider will turn over the information to the police but not to you.

If none of those methods to trace phone calls impresses you, then try the following:

When you get a call hit *69 and you'll get the last number that called your phone. You can then use Be Your Own Detective to track down the caller and his or her address.

Another reason that using Be Your Own Detective website to trace phone calls is that you can find out more about the prank caller-- Be Your Own Detective gives you access to public records, expanded databases, background check resources and more. If the person harassing you is up to no good, you can finally put a stop to it PERMANENTLY.

To run a trace for any phone number and quickly and easily stop an annoying prank caller, just type in the phone number and hit "search
now" to run your trace.

Most of us feel we have a right to privacy concerning our cell phone numbers. Now, to have privacy for land lines, or regular phones we have to pay extra to have our number unlisted or unavailable for public lookup.

There is a flip side to this: Why is it that the callers are not identified on caller ID by name from cell phone users? When you are the receiving end of calls, don't you have a right to know who is calling you?

When some one calls you, in essence they are already invading your privacy. Sure it is OK for friends to call, and family, and the like. But think about it, isn't that almost the same as coming over to your house?

I wonder what you think...

There is a service that is quite reasonable that you can track your own cell phone. AccuTracking software turns your Motorola iDEN cell phones, RIM BlackBerry phones, or Windows Mobile PocketPC phones carried by Nextel, Boost Mobile, AT&T(Cingular), SouthernLINC or Telus MIKE (Canada) into a GPS tracking device.

The AccuTracking online GPS cell phone tracking service lets you see real-time locations, speed, and headings of your children/family members or cars/vehicles, and receive email or SMS alerts when they move across the designated areas or exceeds speed limit. AccuTracking is your ultimate low cost real-time vehicle locator, child locator.

What is it?

AccuTracking is an online GPS tracking service using your cell phones. It helps you monitor the current location of your mobile client.

The definition of GPS from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is "a navigational system using satellite signals to fix the location of a receiver on or above the earth's surface". GPS tracking can be used for locating children, vehicle or other targets. Cell phone tracking uses either communication network or GPS to locate a cellular phone. AccuTracking uses GPS.

How It Works

The AccuTracking system includes two parts:

1. The AccuTracking client software installed on your cell phone.

2. The web site that provides phone location mapping and other trip data monitoring online.

The phone turns on - then the phone runs the AccuTracking client software, the program will then send the phone location periodically to the server (the sending interval is customizable on the phone). You can then view the phone location and other collected data (speed, heading, and phone status) online. All tracking data are kept for 30 days on the server so you can view the tracking history for up to 30 days back. The key is you have to have a data plan. In other words, you need the phone to have internet access - that is how it can send the information to the system so you can track it.

Cell phones work quite differently than a landline. Unfortunately, there are currently no methods for blocking specific calls from the user end of the cell phone.

Some individual phones have features to block or screen calls. Most Nokia phones have number screening listed as "no. screening"

If you put the number in there you will not get an alert when that number calls you. This even works for messages. If your phone does not have that feature, sometimes this works: In contacts make a new group and add the unwanted caller to this group. Then make the aleart for this group "no"

However, should you by stalked or harassed, view the caller ID and if it's from a number that is harassing you, don't pick it up. Reminder: Save the voicemails if the calls are from a harasser or a stalker. Many cell phone companies have corporate security departments that will work with you to stop the disturbing calls.

Now you can read text messages and more form a cell phone's SIM card. You can even download deleted text messages to find out what kind of texts have been sent and received on a cell phone. I Does take a pecial device, but this device is quite affordable compared to what it can do.

The Sim Spy Pro has recovered a substantial amount of deleted text messages from all the SIM cards tested. That doesn't mean it will work with every single SIM card, as these card do vary quite a bit. It does work, and law enforcement agencies throughout the world have used this exact device to obtain deleted text messages.

Many users of the Reverse Phone Detective have recommended the service, So far everyone that has used the Be Your Own Detective website from here or my blog has been satisfied with the service. Although my feedback has been limited - they have stated that they were completely satisfied, using terms like it was a positive experience, or they were happy with the service.