Reverse phone lookup, or reverse phone search, is a report that shows the individual or business associated with a phone number. This report is essential whenever you receive a phone call from a phone number bearing the Iowa area code that you do not recognize and want to find out if it is a scam or a spam number, or maybe a phone number owned by a person you know.
Reverse phone lookup can be performed for all phone numbers, including landlines, cell phone numbers, and VoIP numbers. Most comprehensive reverse phone search engines provide detailed information, which can include the unknown caller’s full name, address, and other secondary information.
What are Iowa Phone Numbers?
Modern technological advancements have improved the options Iowans have for home and business phone systems. Increasingly, they are switching from dated options such as landlines to mobile and integrated options like wireless and VoIP services.
The Iowa telephone status published by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018 revealed that more than 61% of Iowa homes use wireless phones exclusively, while less than 4% are still landline-only homes. These statistics indicate that subscribers and carriers are shifting away from copper wire infrastructure associated with landlines. The four phone network providers operating in Iowa are Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
The popularity of VoIP services in the United States has further pushed landline services to their waning days. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) refers to services that allow users to place voice and video calls over the internet. While VoIP was first introduced in the 1970s, its adoption has been rapid in the last decade, with the US alone recording about 118 million subscribers in 2018. Today, these figures are predicted to be higher.
Can I Search a Phone Number and Find Out Who it is?
Yes, interested persons can look up and find who a phone number belongs to. Before obtaining their phone numbers, the FCC mandates all registrants to provide their names, addresses, and other personal information. This information is then used by phone lookup services to search and locate subscribers allocated to these numbers.
Reverse phone lookup services can perform searches for landline and wireless phone numbers. While these phone search services provide results most of the time, it is more difficult to identify individuals who own VoIP numbers. This is because scammers use various means to falsify their VoIP numbers and mask their locations to avoid detection.
What are Phone Lookup Services?
Phone lookup services are internet-based companies that can search phone numbers and find out who they are registered to. Caller ID can help people identify callers and determine whether they want to answer the phone or ignore their calls. However, caller ID is not a foolproof means of identifying callers.
Scammers have techniques for tricking this feature to misrepresent themselves by falsifying the names and numbers showing up on their targets’ phones. Doing this gives their scams a higher chance of success by trusting Iowa citizens who think they are speaking with someone familiar and reliable. Using phone lookup services to find the true identities of unknown callers can significantly reduce your risk of being a victim of a phone scam.
What Information Can You Get from an Iowa Phone Number Lookup Search?
Most people using reverse phone lookup searches want to know the names of unknown callers trying to contact them. Besides the full names of individuals linked to phone numbers submitted for search, phone lookup services can also provide the following identify details:
- Address
- Age
- Gender
The basic search results are mostly obtained from subscriber records kept by phone carriers and submitted by users when registering their phone numbers. Reverse phone lookup search engines can provide more detailed results but often reserve such deep dives for paying users.
Paid phone number lookup services search beyond phone carrier databases to find more relevant and up-to-date records of the individuals identified. They can pull current home and office addresses, photos, and online activities from public posts on social media channels. Some paid lookup services can also obtain criminal and arrest records from public records maintained by courts, law enforcement, and governments at the city, county, state, and federal levels.
The additional pieces of information provided by reverse phone lookup paid services are useful when you want to know more about an unknown caller. Such details can help you verify the claims of the caller and determine whether they are trustworthy or impersonators. Paid lookup services can also be used to investigate suspected fake companies, charities, and other organizations. These search engines can check consumer advocacy websites to find reports about such entities and reveal those linked to reported scams.
What is a VoIP Number?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a relatively modern communication technology that routes calls over the internet. VoIP services allow users to make voice and video calls and send text messages without the need for copper wire infrastructures used by landlines. Because of their high efficiency, convenience, and lower cost, VoIP services are rapidly replacing other types of telephony services.
VoIP service providers assign virtual numbers to communications devices without the need for on-site installation. VoIP-compatible devices include smartphones and computers. Using these devices, VoIP calls can be placed anywhere in the world. For instance, a business with branches in Iowa and Mexico can get VoIP numbers with Iowa and Mexico area codes, all connected to a single phone system.
The convenience offered to home and business users also make VoIP a major tool for scams. Provided they are connected to the internet, scammers anywhere in the world can call VoIP numbers with Iowa local codes. Because VoIP numbers are easy to obtain, they are also easy to discard and trace. These features help scammers escape identification by law enforcement and reverse phone lookup services.
Iowans need to be fully aware that calls from unknown individuals can be the beginnings of scams, even if they are from local numbers. Apply extra caution when answering these calls. If you can, do not answer calls from unknown numbers, even when they appear familiar. If you must, the search tools provided by phone lookup services can help identify the caller and their location unless they are trying to hide by using spoofed VoIP numbers.
The Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General's Office and the Iowa Fraud Fighters provide various tools and resources on how to identify fraudulent phone calls and spam emails. Some of the best tips are discussed below.
What is an Iowa Phone Number Area Code?
Iowa area codes are the first three bracketed digits of every 10-digit phone number assigned in the state. The area code numbering system, otherwise known as the North American Plan (NANP), was developed in 1947 to make call routing easier and also cater to the rising population of phone users.
What is an Iowa Phone Number Prefix Code?
Iowa prefix codes, or exchange codes, refer to the first three digits of a 7-digit phone number and the middle three digits of a 10-digit phone number. These numbers follow area codes and represent particular cities and towns in the state. Using (712) 123-4567 as an example:
- 712 is the area code
- 123 is the prefix code
- 4567 is the line number
When an Iowa number starts with +1, it includes the country code for the US for those calling from out of the country. Therefore, a complete Iowa phone number has the following format: country code + area code + prefix code + phone line number. Using +1 (712) 123-4567 as an example:
- +1 is the country code
- 712 is the area code
- 123 is the prefix code
- 4567 is the line number
Is There a Way to Lookup a Phone Number for Free in Iowa?
Yes, there are several options for looking up a phone number for free in Iowa.
One of the most reliable and comprehensive ways to look up a person’s phone number in Iowa is through an online reverse lookup service. Reverse lookups allow users to search for the contact information and address associated with a specific telephone number. These services can be used for both cell phones and landlines, making them an effective way to find someone’s information in Iowa quickly and accurately.
If you do not have access to a reverse lookup service, there are other methods you can use to look up a phone number in Iowa. Many local libraries have copies of phone books for the entire state, which can be used for free. Additionally, some local newspapers list a comprehensive directory of their subscribers’ contact information and address in their print editions.
Overall, while there is no single source for looking up phone numbers in Iowa for free, these resources provide viable alternatives that can help you find the information you need. For people looking for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information, a paid reverse lookup service is likely to be the best option.
Additionally, it is important to remember that even though these resources are available, they only provide basic contact information and address search results—they do not include any further details about the listed person such as criminal history or other personal data.
Is Reverse Phone Lookup Legal in Iowa?
Yes. Using reverse phone lookup searches to identify unknown callers is legal in Iowa. Although the state does not have defined laws ruling on the legality of phone number lookup services, it does allow these tools because they help identify and stop phone scammers.
However, anyone using reverse lookup tools in Iowa must do so without contravening the civil and criminal laws of the state. Both users and providers of reverse phone number searches must not use these tools to defraud, threaten, or steal confidential information from the phone users they identify.
In addition to not stealing from or causing harm to the subjects of phone number lookups, users must ensure they do not contravene Iowa’s privacy laws when using these tools. A typical reverse phone lookup search turns up details extracted from public records. Most service providers rely on carrier databases, user-generated content online, and public records for their results.
